Flow Like A River Exhibit PK80
· PK80 is one of Poul Kjarholm's finest and most iconic designs, a combination of complexity and brilliance. The properties of the different materials are clearly and completely displayed, and are combined into a whole through a clever connection, which fits the design concept of the building.
· Poul Kjaerholm sees different materials as different independent elements. In the PK80's structure, steel frame legs carry the load to the floor; The horizontal beam and cantilever support the hardwood laminate under the mattress; Because the laminate does not need to be visually present in the structure, and in order to reduce weight, the thickness is reduced to a minimum; Then a "0" shaped rubber ring is connected to the frame and the plywood, making the furniture easy to disassemble, but also for the leather mattress covered on the laminate anti-slip; The rolled edge sewing form on the leather mattress divides the mattress into a rectangular grid, optimizing the visual proportions, while broadening the mattress by adjusting the spacing of the rolled edges, cleverly hiding the laminate and simplifying the visual structure of the furniture. The PK80 is designed with a combination of different structural elements, leaving only the necessary functional design, from 0 to 1 and then to 100, like a building rising from the ground.
· In order to find a more elegant and clear way of combining furniture structures, Poul Kjrholm explored and practiced in historical traditions. He took historic furniture as his creation model, divided the furniture materials he focused on exploring into different characteristics, and constantly deconstructed and reorganized them to form his unique furniture design methodology. Kjarholm began his work for E. Christensen by building furniture out of simple parts. When developing the PK22 chair, he used fine screws to connect leather and steel, leaving gaps between the two materials to show the structural role of different elements in the same frame. To the design of PK80, he took the Bauhaus style Daybed jointly designed by Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich as the prototype, discarded the pillow element, clarified the most essential role of proportion and structure between different materials, and made the furniture more pure. This radical simplification shows his deep understanding of balanced construction and material selection, as well as his deep awareness of the functionality of furniture.
Furniture: Model | designer | brand | design year
Chair :PK80 | Poul Kjarholm | Fritz Hansen |1957
Photo from 272 Gallery by STREAM