Muuto's Fiber Chair By Designers Iskos-Berlin

I think there is one piece of furniture that appeals incessently to every design aficionado - a design chair. The offer is pretty abundant and thus are the piling worries and question how to make space for yet another wonderful chair in one's home. These kind of questions popped up in my head while I was attending the press launch of Muuto's latest design news earlier this year in Cologne. Especially once I had spotted the latest additions to the Fiber Chair designed by Copenhagen based design duo Iskos-Berlin.

I had the honor to meet one of the two designers in person and chat with him about the Fiber Chair, its design process and aesthetics - first hand information were given by Boris Berlin, one inspiring half of the design duo Iskos-Berlin. I was wondering how difficult it can be to design a chair - such a functional piece of furniture that has existed now for so many years and that keeps a rather usual overall shape. And as assumed, it is all in the details. And it's mostly the little details we do not see at first glance that require lots of thinking, designing, redesigning and sophisticated manufacturing.

Suddenly, you realize that each design chair is a masterpiece of its own - from the moment it was brough on paper over the careful manufacturing process to the hours we sit in and enjoy its comforts. And the designers put it in the case of the Fibre Chair as follows: "One of the most difficult and noble disciplines is to design without eccentricity." And I would say they have accomplished their mission with this beautiful and sleek chair.

The Fiber Chair by designers Iskos-Berlin was specially designed for Muuto with the goal to balance maximum comfort with minimum space. It is produced from an innovative composite material containing wood and plastic fibres - the chair has thus a wonderful texture and structure when viewed up close and touched. I loved the feeling way more than of simple plastic chairs - it has so much more character and feeling.

The Fiber Chair also comes in black and cognac leather finishings, the latter one being my absolute favorite. The other versions come in a range of colours containing white, grey, dusty green and nature (which is a sort of ochre hue in this case).

With no further addo I will leave you with that throbbing question: How to make space in your home for this wonderful design chair?

Photography: Images via Muuto, pic with designer by Igor Josifovic

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Making Of: A Chair Goes Wild

One common thing of many design aficionados is a certain design chair crush. I blogged about my latest design chair crush in my blog post HERE - it was a little love story with my beloved 'Leya' chair from the German design label 'Freifrau Sitzmöbelmanufaktur'. This chair is a real charmer - edgy and soft, raw and comfy, it is sensuous, stylish, elegant and functional - all in one. It is my favorite chair to read and work and I was pretty smitten to see some 'making of' pictures of the 'Leya' chair in all kind of colours for the brand's lookbook.

Freifrau's art director Birgit Hoffmann interpreted the 'Leya' chair in soft pastel hues in a refreshing, summery way - on the waterfront the 'Leya' product family seems to be as much at home as in our apartments. This playful twist and the happy colours grasp a more cheery side of the pretty elegant 'Leya' collection. Next door to my own apartment is a very beautiful and upscale interior store and they are currently showcasing many 'Leya' chairs around a dining table in their shop window - an entirely different view but this proofs that this design chair is as individual as everyone of us.

Well, I will leave with those breezy 'making of' shots despite the pretty cold autumn weather here. But maybe it is warm and sunny where you are. And if you ever end up looking for a good chair - I warmly recommend 'Leya', you'll love her as much as I do!

Photography via 'Freifrau'

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Design Chair Crush: Leya By 'Freifrau'

Design chairs are something like 'hot stuff' for interior design aficionados. You know, just name dropping like Eames chair, Wishbone chair, Egg chair, the CH07 or 'Smiling chair' by Wegner - just to mention a few. Design lovers get big eyes and phrases of awe and praise cascade out of their mouths. Very normal! But as many things in life, the story has another side too. Most of those highly appraised chairs have a price tag that requires either a hereditary fortune or several years of saving - and then we've gotten to one chair! Moreover, some of those amazing chairs (not all of course) seem to lack one important feature - a comfy seating. Good for the eye, not so good for your back. Many aspects to consider!

And then I met Leya. A chair with an exotic name like a beauty from the shores of an unknown country. However, Leya is German, yup, she's literally my neighbor. Better yet: she is my new roomie!

Leya is the dulcet name of a beautiful chair from the German manufacturer 'Freifrau' and designed by Birgit Hoffmann. The design label 'Freifrau' was founded in 2012 and is specialized in the design and production of top-notch chairs. Leya is one of their flagship chairs: It is the chair of contrasts, it combines warm and cold materials, hard and soft surfaces, a masculine and feminine touch. The wired base has an industrial touch whereas the soft leather upholstery recalls a lounge feeling. Plus it comes at a very affordable price tag for a design chair. But the best is yet to come!

Visually, this chair is definitely appealing to my eye. But the moment of revelation occurs once you take a seat. So far, this is the comfiest chair I have ever sat on. It is solid yet soft, stable yet puffy. Ever since it moved in with me it has become my favorite chair to read and work. My apartment is too small for a dedicated home office, so this chairs takes the position of a home office slash reading nook. And in fact, I can't wait for the day when I move into a bigger apartment and have a proper desk. Guess which chair will be accompanying my desk then? Yup, her name is Leya. And I like her very much.

Photography by Bridgee Melling & Igor Josifovic

This blog post has been brought to you in collaboration with 'Freifrau'

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