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Products February 26, 2013

The Medici Chair: Tradition Meets Technology

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Sizeable and sculptural, Konstantin Grcic’s Medici Chair is a love song to wood — the raw material, the woodworking process, and the craftsmen who transform the material into something both beautiful and useful. Grcic, who first trained as a cabinet-maker, found inspiration for the piece on the factory floor of manufacturer Mattiazzi, where traditional woodworking techniques meet the newest digital production technologies. His approach from the start: use only three-quarter-inch planks throughout — a reminder of the beginning of the production process, when a tree trunk is cut into slices. The result is a visible, easy-to-read structure that uniquely expresses the distinct characteristics of wood.

A contemporary interpretation of the classic Adirondack chair, the outdoor version of this semi-reclined design uses thermo-oiled ash, a finish that employs a new process of heat-treating and hand-oiling to seal the wood and keep it moisture-resistant. Get it just in time for the new spring season at the Herman Miller store.

Balance, Design December 14, 2012

Top Ten: Best of the Web This Week

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Take a look at what’s been on our radar this week.

1. The can’t-be-missed photos in “LIFE With Charles and Ray Eames: The Simple Art of Beauty” at life.time.com.

2. A look at the Miller House archives at The Fox Is Black.

3. The eclectic Copenhagen home of designers Camilla Ebdrup and Andreas Stenmann at Design*Sponge.

4. The clever Architecture for Dogs site, including Konstantin Grcic‘s design for a poodle.

5. In other Konstantin Grcic news, his Medici Chair for Mattiazzi recently won the Icon Award 2012 for “Best Furniture Design.”

6. 10 Beautiful Buildings Shaped Like Triangles from Flavorwire.

7. This design-focused gift guide from the Society of Publication Designers.

8. The sleek new Ovale cutlery designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec at Dezeen.

9. This color-packed Romanian home design featuring Eames Molded Plastic Chairs and Wire Chairs (via Decoist).

10. The Domus Civita renovation project (complete with grottos and caves) by Italian architecture firm Studio F at ArchDaily.

Photo: Francois Dischinger for Herman Miller / Medici Chair Outdoor by Konstantin Grcic for Mattiazzi

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