Upholstered Chair, after Henri Van de Velde New York, New York

Macklowe Galleries of New York requested that I reproduce a Van de Velde upholstered chair, to create a matching pair for a client who purchased the original. Henri Van de Velde was a master of understated elegance in many of his designs, but I came to appreciate his architectural approach and commitment to structure in recreating his chairs.

This chair appears weightless, but is in fact very strong in its calculated spareness. All essential elements of chair structure are present, but pared to an absolute minimum.