Not currently on display at the V&A

Ear Chair

Armchair
2003 (made)
Artist/Maker
Studio Makkink & Bey (made)
Place of origin
Rotterdam (made)

This chair is one of two acquired by the V&A (W.15-2013 and W.16-2013). Together these chairs were designed for an office reception space. The chairs are also known as Ear Chairs due to the elongated “ears” that extend from the chair head-rests. Paired, they form a mini-environment. The designers combined the chairs with carpet and wall panelling that referenced the Sunday-room of a Dutch farmhouse. Despite this nod to history, the chairs aim to introduce a radical new way of working and living, and they have been widely imitated.


Object details

Category
Furniture
Object type
Armchair
TitleEar Chair
Materials and techniques
Fabric inside: Repeat Dot 003 Chocolate by Hella Jongerius Fabric outside: Kvadat Hallingdal grey Materials: MDF, foam
MDF
Brief description
Upholstered armchair in grey and brown fabric with irregular arm and head-rests, designed and made by Studio Makkink & Bey, 2003, commissioned by Interpolis.
Physical description
Large armchair with “interior” upholstery in chocolate coloured fabric with grey dots and outer fabric in grey. The head-rest cocoons asymmetrically out to the sides like “ears”. The arm-rests are equally asymmetrical.
Dimensions
  • Height: 149cm
  • Depth: 95cm
  • Depth: 100cm (maximum depth)
  • Width: 129cm
Credit line
Purchased through the Design Fund
Summary
This chair is one of two acquired by the V&A (W.15-2013 and W.16-2013). Together these chairs were designed for an office reception space. The chairs are also known as Ear Chairs due to the elongated “ears” that extend from the chair head-rests. Paired, they form a mini-environment. The designers combined the chairs with carpet and wall panelling that referenced the Sunday-room of a Dutch farmhouse. Despite this nod to history, the chairs aim to introduce a radical new way of working and living, and they have been widely imitated.
Collection
Furniture and Woodwork Collection
Accession number
W.16-2013

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Record createdSeptember 30, 2013
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1273291/ear-chair-armchair-studio-makkink/
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