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Mobilier Elsie
By : APPAREIL Architecture x APPAREIL Atelier
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 15th edition
Discipline : Product
Categories : Product Design in Small Series & Hand-Made / Residential, Commercial & Built-In Furniture : Gold Certification
Categories : Special Awards / Products + Wood : Gold Certification
Commissioned by Les Jardins de Métis, Appareil Atelier, in collaboration with cabinetmaker L'Autre Atelier, has created two models of chairs made of solid wood that illustrate local craftsmanship and Quebec’s wood products.
Both solid and elegant, the Elsie Collection expresses a language of strength and fine proportions. Offering a balance between classic inspiration and contemporary esthetics, the chair’s simple structure hides an innovative vocabulary of forms.
Inspired by the classic bending chairs of the 19th century, Appareil Atelier inventoried a wide range of chair types that by their simple forms have assured their popularity over time. A chair made of wood, hand-made, remains a timeless classic. The challenge of the Elsie chair was to develop new expression of the classic vocabulary by removing superfluous elements all the while keeping the essence of the chair, its seat and back. The result is striking in its purity and fluidity. With an elegant élan, the four chair legs support the seat and continue upward where they become the back and the arms. The thinness of the seat highlights the seven bars that make up the chair and whose size is larger than the tradition. The oversized nature of these pieces attracts the eye, but also invites touching and exploration.
All in generous roundness, the Elsie chair gives an impression of durability and comfort, enhanced by the warmth of solid wood. Red oak from Quebec forests is robust and will assure that several generations of users will enjoy this chair. The grain makes each chair different from the next and give this furniture its unique character.
The time spent on research and design permitted the team from Appareil Atelier to move beyond standard techniques and to innovate. This project has been made possible with the support of Les Jardins de Métis, but also the talents of Quebec craftsmen, notably cabinetmaker Julien Maréchal of L’Autre Atelier, who brought this project to life with ideas that at first glance seemed impossible to realize.
It is the testimony of a profound desire to do better with our resources, both material and human.
Collaboration
