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Taliesin Barrel Chair

The “Barrel Chair” by Frank Lloyd Wright was designed in 1937 for Herbert Johnson’s house. It earns its name from the city Taliesin, Wisconsin where the famous Taliesin III House stands today.

DESIGNER | Frank Lloyd Wright, 1937

Taliesin Barrel Chair

H 33″
W 24″
D 23″

The “Barrel Chair” by Frank Lloyd Wright was designed in 1937 for Herbert Johnson’s house. It earns its name from the city Taliesin, Wisconsin where the famous Taliesin III House stands today.   The chair was designed in the context of the Great Depression when resources were scarce, and there was a need for furniture that was inexpensive and easy to make. Wright was inspired by nature, organic shapes architecture, and geometry. This unique and ergonomically comfortable upholsterer to armchair was designed to be fabricated from a single panel a 4′ x 8′ laminated plywood. The chair utilizes multiple geometric shapes including trapezoidal interior and exterior outside panels and 60° triangular shapes for the arms and legs.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Widely considered the most celebrated architect of the 20th century and the greatest American architect of all time, Wright perfected a distinctly American style of architecture that emphasized simplicity and natural beauty in contrast to the elaborate and ornate structure that had prevailed in Europe. He designed more than 1,100 buildings during his lifetime, nearly one-third of which came during his last decade. Wright felt that using natural shapes and geometry in furniture designs appealed to the human desire to feel a part of nature. There are over three hundred chair drawings in the collection of the Frank Lloyd Wright archives.

Taliesin Barrel Chair  | c.1937

Manufacturer

Original: Cassina/Copeland | Italy/US
Current: Cassina | Italy

Build

Dimensions: 24″W x 23″D x 33″H
Material: wood, upholstered seat