Iconic Modern Design: The Butterfly Chair

Welcome to our MODERN DESIGN SERIES where we’ll be sharing with you the backstory behind modern design and some of its most recognizable pieces throughout the world.

Let’s start this blog post by clarifying that modern CAN be classic. Modernism is not something that just happened in the past decade, it’s been around longer than you and I. In the early 20th century, artists and innovators looked for new creative ways to simplify art and design. The began by removing all of the ornamentation that they were used to applying to all aspects of design. Although it took several decades to truly be accepted in the furniture design world, by 1930’s people began to appreciate the simplicity of things. This is when the Bauhaus movement took off and design has never been the same since.

Today we want to share with you our love for iconic modern design. Let’s begin with one mid-century chair design you’ve surely seen before in residential interiors around the world; the Hardoy chair also known as the butterfly chair. We love the story behind this famous chair because it was designed in a collaborative environment such as ours, by the architectural firm called Grupo Austral. This “think tank” was founded by three recognized designers who met while working as assistants in Le Corbusier’s Paris atelier; Jorge Ferrari Hardoy, Antonio Bonet and Juan Kurchan. Together in 1938 they designed the first butterfly chair.

 

 

Did you know this chair was designed in Buenos Aires, Argentina? The inspiration that lead the argentine architects to create one of the most iconic chair designs was an existing furniture piece designed over 50 years prior in 1881, known as “La Tripolina.”

The Butterfly chair’s cool and versatile shape presented by Hardoy, Bonet and Kurchan suddenly became very popular in the design world. Now we can find great versions of this classic modern folding chair in different variations of materials and colors. From the classic leather model to a fun animal print replica, there are plenty of options to suit your interior.

Our top residential interior designers have included the butterfly chair in their furniture selections for some of our favorite homes. In the chic living room of our South Beach interior design project, our designers paired the iconic modern chair with a braided texture beige rug and a beautiful contemporary walnut coffee table.

 

 

PRODUCT CRUSH – Iconic Modern Design

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