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Not currently on display at the V&A

Margrét

Chair
1994 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This chair's comfortable, if unusual form is the result of a careful study of sitting postures. The designer, Mary Little, was interested in the use of dress-making techniques applied to upholstery. She designed this chair to highlight how the fabrics used hang, like clothing, from the foam-covered form beneath. This particular chair was completely cut, sewn and assembled by the designer, who employed a specialist pattern cutter for later chairs in the series.

After studying at the Royal College of Art, Little worked in Italy for several design studios, including Memphis, before returning to London to develop her own furniture designs. This chair is called Margrét after a friend of the designer's. The Paintings, Drawings and Prints department of the V&A holds numerous sketches, drawings and pattern designs created during the process of designing and constructing this chair. Mary Little subsequently emigrated to the USA.


Object details

Category
Object type
Titles
  • Margrét (assigned by artist)
  • Coats of Arms (series title)
Materials and techniques
Tubular steel frame, foam, wool and silk/wool upholstery
Brief description
model Margrét; Margrét Chair, British, 1993 Mary Little
Physical description
Chair with two part back, covered in silk/wool upholstery.
Dimensions
  • Height: 80.7cm
  • Width: 103.5cm
  • Depth: 56.5cm
  • Seat height: 45.8cm
JS (17.12.2010)
Gallery label
'MARGRET' CHAIR, BY MARY LITTLE (British, born 1958) British; 1993 Tubular steel frame, foam, wool and silk/wool upholstery Mary Little included this chair, which is named for a friend, in her Coats of Arms collection, presented in a gallery near Tower Bridge in 1994. After studying at the Royal College of Art, Little worked in Italy for several design studios including Memphis before returning to London to develop her own furniture designs. The form of this chair is the result of the designer's study of sitting postures and her interest in the use of upholstery techniques based on dress making. The design is intended to highlight the way in which fabric hangs, like clothing, from the foam-covered shape. The designer created the patterns, cut the fabric, sewed and assembled the chair. She employed a specialist patten cutter for later chairs in the series. The connection between the form of this chair and costume is overt. The shapes of Korean hats and the armature of hoop skirts were clearly sources. The 'dressing' of the chair contributes to its apparent anthropomorphism. It is worth mentioning that the chair is extremely comfortable to sit on. The chair is the result of painstaking design and construction process which is documented by the numerous sketches and drawings (including pattern designs) which have been acquired by the Museum.(1995)
Object history
Drawings and other design material by Mary Little connected with this chair are in PDP.
Summary
This chair's comfortable, if unusual form is the result of a careful study of sitting postures. The designer, Mary Little, was interested in the use of dress-making techniques applied to upholstery. She designed this chair to highlight how the fabrics used hang, like clothing, from the foam-covered form beneath. This particular chair was completely cut, sewn and assembled by the designer, who employed a specialist pattern cutter for later chairs in the series.

After studying at the Royal College of Art, Little worked in Italy for several design studios, including Memphis, before returning to London to develop her own furniture designs. This chair is called Margrét after a friend of the designer's. The Paintings, Drawings and Prints department of the V&A holds numerous sketches, drawings and pattern designs created during the process of designing and constructing this chair. Mary Little subsequently emigrated to the USA.
Bibliographic reference
Crafts Magazine, July/August 1994
Collection
Accession number
W.11-1994

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Record createdFebruary 8, 2008
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