Four-legged freaks

MANILA, Philippines - The chair must be one of the most organic things ever designed; we all need a respite from our upright nature. Among the characteristics that set us apart from non-human primates, though, is the fact that we have come to prefer to not sit on the ground. Florence de Dampierre writes in Chairs: A History that it is a mark of a civilized person to elevate one’s body “away from the cold, damp floor”. This makes the chair a landmark invention — a turning point in our evolution as an enlightened society.

Before the rise of the Renaissance, chairs weren’t just used to literally elevate the human body. They also indicated a person’s elevated status in society. The chair or thronus, a seat designed with an upright back, is reserved for royalty and masters of the household. If we had lived in those days, we lower-strata folk would have had to improvise and sit on a sack of rice or an upturned pail. The only type of chair we would have been allowed to sit on was the stool — anything with a backrest is out of the question.

As chairs started becoming a part of the average household, ergonomic sensibilities also began to refine its original design, giving way to more practical and functional permutations like benches, stools, U-shaped couches, and even all-purpose day-beds that resemble the modern sofa. The demand for chairs increased as society’s need for communal activities grew. Interesting chair designs have cropped up since, especially with the dawn of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements.

Freaks of the species have invaded households everywhere — pretty ones, strange ones, and downright tacky but exceptionally functional ones. In 2004, Smithsonian Magazine came out with “Everbody Takes a Seat”, an article that pays homage to the most ubiquitous version of all: the resin chair. Described as a “single-piece, jointless, all-plastic, all-weather, inexpensive, molded stacking chair”, this piece is better known as the monoblock chair. It is a universal piece of furniture that is utilized across all economic classes for innumerable purposes — for seating tourists in bars from Malate to Boracay, cradling guests at weddings and funerals, and even holding yet-to-be-ironed laundry. There are billions of them around the world.

The About A Chair gallery along Jupiter St. in Makati is home to many four- (sometimes less, sometimes more) legged freaks, each intriguing in their uniqueness. The newly-opened chair specialty store carries reproductions of van der Rohe’s Barcelona, Jacobsen’s Egg and Swan, and Eames’ Lounge Chair, as well as premium North American vintage leather chairs, casual dining chairs, and beautifully hand-crafted, locally-made chairs.

About A Chair was conceptualized by interior designer Malen Gomez-Garcia and her sister Nina Gomez-Camacho of Idea/Forma Designers Co., and their clients-turned-business partners and friends, Nino Caruncho and spouses Lit and Anj Onrubia. Anyone who’s tried chair shopping would know how frustrating it is to find quality, affordable pieces. About A Chair offers a wide selection of pieces at different price points, but more importantly, they have items that you’d want to have for your home.

Every now and then, a situation that calls for the services of the generic monoblock chair comes up. On regular days though, when our special needs and strange wants reign supreme, freaks are in order. Check out which freak best suits your needs at About A Chair, 2/F 146-A Jupiter Street, Bel-Air Village, Makati City; tel. no. +632 890-7602. Store Hours are from 10:00AM – 7:00PM (Monday to Saturday) and 11:00AM – 7:00PM (Sunday).