I found these two chairs on a junkyard the other day. They looked very familiar to me, and indeed after some research I found very similar chairs from Philippe Starck for Driade - "Miss Dora"
Is it possible that Philippe Starck got inspired from these chairs or is it the other way around?
I personally like the lines of this chair much more than "Miss Dora" chairs
I think these are not Starck chairs; the foot detail is less angular and more curved in these than in the comparative chairs that were designed by Starck. I can't tell you whether this predates the Starck versions either, though I suspect it doesn't.
One thing I can add though- I'm 99% sure there never was a Miss Dora chair by Driade. The similar chair is actually called Miss Dorn and was made by Disform in Spain in 1982. It's on Starck's own site labelled as such, and no Miss Dora chair appears there. I'm guessing all those Google hits (including one for Wright) for a Miss Dora chair are based on one erroneous attribution at some point in the past (possibly Wright's own) and then multiplied by lazy dealers.
PS According to Driade's own site, their relationship with Starck began with the cafe Costes chair in 1984.
http://www.starck.com/en?q=miss%20dorn
http://www.driade.com/en/sedia-costes
I like yours much better---I wonder if they are more like 50s or 60s vintage? I know that's when that style of bent rod patio furniture got really popular in the US, though I have no idea if the same was happening in Europe. I don't think it came back in vogue until at least the late 90s or later when a folding version of the Hardoy Butterfly chair started popping up all over. I guess yours could be newer and just had a hard life outside---hard to say.
I think they'd look great with just a minimum of effort. Clean off the frame, spray paint it, and recover those seats in a bright color. Use a fabric or vinyl that can be smoothed around the tight radius of that seat without all those sloppy tucks and ripples.
They do not look terribly comfortable but who cares?
Thanks a lot Andrew, You are absolutely right, there isn't Miss Dora chair on Starck's own site. I was confused by Wright`s website (you would think that those guys should know better - obviously not)
The legs are indeed curved, more like hairpin legs - that`s the reason I thought that they are from the 50s or 60s
Hi Spanky --- I like this version better, too -- the simplicity of it. If it is after a Starck`s design I would call it an improvement. At first I thought that it`s 50s or 60s design, but now I am not so sure anymore
I will definitely try to restore them --- I was thinking sheepskin upholstery, but vinyl would do well too.
You wouldn't say, but they are not that uncomfortable 🙂
I like the chair, better than the other one you refer to
sensibility wise in the quasi-mainstream it seems too cutting edge for the 50s, too spare for the 60s, too prematurely retro for the 70s, still too avant-garde for the 80s, and probably about right for the 90s
hooray for trash
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