Published on : Wednesday, February 19, 2014
It’s often life that writes the best stories. In this particular case, it all began with a design competition held by Brakel-based moulded wood specialists Becker at interzum 2013. In the announcement, KFF owner Karl-Friedrich Förster discovered a detail drawing of a lounge chair which, it soon emerged, originated from 1967. He promptly got in touch with its creator, interior architect Dieter Sandrock, and the story took its course.
When Managing Director Jens Lewe phoned the meanwhile retired interior architect and designer, they set up a meeting right away – to which Sandrock brought the old prototype of the “lucky find”. “It was my finals piece for the Staatliche Werkkunstschule Kassel (Kassel School of Applied Arts), where I studied interior architecture until 1967,” says Sandrock of its history. In terms of its form, the chair is very much a child of its time. The ingredients: chrome-plated flat steel for the load-bearing structure and cross base, a sophisticated moulded wood shell and unusual partial upholstery. After the presentation in Lemgo, the KFF design team spontaneously agreed that the design should be included in the collection under the name DS and celebrate its premiere in Cologne.
But first, with a compelling instinct for modernity, the design was carefully transported into the present day. Now the leather-covered shell rests on a dynamic-looking crossed skid base with plastic gliders. What has remained – albeit in slightly modified form – is the strikingly kinked back with padding that extends from the seat up to the lumbar zone – still a special feature even 47 years down the line.
Visitors to the imm cologne, where KFF presented its new products in the Pure 11 segment, couldn’t have agreed more. The DS chair was also one of the highlights during the booth party to celebrate the company’s 30th anniversary.
Tags: Brakel-based moulded wood specialists Becker, imm 2014, Karl-Friedrich Förster, KFF
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