The Viennese architect Josef Frank took a keen interest in domestic culture and furniture design. He created items of furniture and fabric designs both for Haus & Garten, the Vienna-based home furnishings company that he founded in 1925, and for the firm Svenskt Tenn of Stockholm. He was also a member of the CIAM and the Werkbund, and not only contributed to the 1927 WerkbundsiedlungWeißenhof in Stuttgart but helped plan the Werkbundsiedlung in Vienna in 1932.
The A 63 F lounge chair belongs to a group of bentwood chairs that he designed for Thonet around 1929, electing to use the solid beech rods with a round cross section traditionally used for bentwood furniture. A single bentwood element forms the back legs and backrest frame, while two others provide the front legs and armrests. The backrest with its thin spindles recalls that of the traditional English Windsor chair.
In terms of function, Frank’s bentwood chairs for Thonet were intended first and foremost for the private home. This is evident from the conspicuously low seat of the A 63 F, which resembles an upholstered lounge chair. The models were also available in different colours. Their oranges and greens harmonized well with the colourful, patterned upholstery fabrics that Frank also designed, true to his perception of the modern domestic interior as a flexible, private space that inhabitants could shape and adapt as desired. It was a stance that marked a clear departure from the dogmatism of International Modernism, as did his critical attitude towards tubular steel furniture.
Text: Eva B. Ottillinger
