Vitra, international design for refined and elegant furniture
Elegance has been Vitra’s distinctive touch since its founding in 1950. From here, a long success story has developed from a family dimension to today’s international vocation thanks to the world-class designers who have designed the products, which have become true design icons over time. All furniture is born from the idea of providing suitable solutions for any type of environment; solutions that manage to furnish it with a refined, elegant and unmistakable style. This is precisely why even just the name of some of Vitra’s products call to mind unforgettable elements with surprising character, such as, for example, the famous Lounge Chair by Charles and Ray Eames or the Alcove sofa by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.
The philosophy behind Vitra’s concepts is that of collage, the idea that a space acquires life not in a unified plan but in the mix of elements, of novelty and tradition, classical and contemporary. It is a vision of the future with a firm foundation where creativity blends with the Company’s engineering excellence: thus come the innovative, durable, well-designed, functional and aesthetically unmatched solutions. Vitra’s is a choral narrative that finds consecration in its iconic elements over time. And among them are definitely the chairs of Charles and Ray Eames, who really revolutionized the history of design because of their freedom, their willingness to experiment and dwell on the small details that give substance and create the product.
Experimentation but also timeless classicism. Like Antonio Citterio’s La Grand Relax, the best of the recliners: cozy, surprising but also understated in style.
Charles and Ray Eames’ chairs, the perfect archetype
Charles and Ray Eames changed the history of contemporary design with their proposals for chairs, one of the most difficult objects to devise, thanks to continuous experimentation with materials and the search for the perfect detail. They were able to achieve extraordinary performance both aesthetically and functionally from materials such as wood, aluminum sheet, fiberglass-reinforced polyester resin and more. And among these designs of theirs are three that have established themselves as true icons of international design since their release: the Plastic Chair, La Chaise, and the Lounge Chair.
The Plastic Chair can already be described like this: offering the best and the most to the greatest number of people. This was the ideal with which the Eames developed the Plastic Chair, the perfect archetype of the chair designed, in its one-piece shell, precisely to fit the features of the human body while giving it maximum comfort, even in its small size. It is work that is the result of experiments and studies on alternative materials and that lands, in the 1950s, on the choice of polyester resin in glass fiber. With the Plastic Chair, a new canon was definitely introduced into the encyclopedia of furnishing: that of the multifunctional chair, whose shell can be combined with a variety of different bases for different purposes and to allow for various seating positions. But not only that. There are combinations that have something to say from an aesthetic point of view as well, such as the model that has the base of the Eiffel Tower in an intricate and light design made of steel wire where light and elegant shapes chase each other with structural strength.
The Eames’ design and visionary impetus is carried on by Vitra, which, to this day, produces these inimitable chairs with polypropylene shells and a base in a different material. There is a wide choice in both body color and coating options. Shades and shade combinations can be played with to decide to use the chairs in multiple settings: from the dining room, living room, workspaces and office conference rooms to bars and restaurants, waiting rooms.
Countless places for one inimitable story: that of bold design facing the future while shaping the present.
The Grand Relax, the classic, understated, luxurious armchair
Grand Relax is an armchair designed by Antonio Citterio, for Vitra, in 2019. A reclining chaise longue where the compact dimensions do not detract from comfort but rather add a touch of minimalist aesthetics that makes this product a true gem of contemporary design.
Grand Relax is designed to sit and sink into a gentle sensation of relaxation and coziness made possible by the built-in, hidden mechanism that absorbs weight and moves the chair into a reclined position. The backrest of the chair can also be locked at the desired angle with a control knob that allows you to dose the strength of this mechanism. But not only that. Gran Relax can rotate up to 360° by always pivoting on the elegant four-spoke base made of die-cast aluminum and available with a polished or painted finish in basic dark or chestnut colors; it also features plastic or felt slides so as not to damage different types of floors. For even more living comfort, the chair can also be joined by a footrest. The seat cushion is filled with polyurethane foam lozenges and fiber spheres while the back of the neck cushion is filled with polyurethane foam cubes and a mix of quills and feathers to ensure maximum softness when leaning back.
The absolute protagonist of the upholstery is leather. Both the cushion, backrest and shell are upholstered in strong leather, available in different colors.
From the warm tones of cognac shades, through the delicacy of gray to the decisiveness of black, even choosing a color is a statement of style and personality for an armchair that promises, right from its name, a revolution in the concept of relaxation: luxurious but understated, impactful but refined to the smallest detail, aesthetic but also essentially technical.
