unexpected textures, colors, and materials weave into LOEWE's quirky chair collection

‘loewe chairs’ at salone del mobile 2023

LOEWE broadens its horizons and explores its playful side with a collection of new chairs showcasing at Salone del Mobile 2023. From foil to shearling, the seating designs display an unexpected and quirky choice of materials and colors, breathing new life into the courtyard of Palazzo Isimbardi. Each ‘new’ material was handwoven into a chair by an international group of expert craftspeople, creating additional textures and expanding shapes with soft sculptural protrusions. Ultimately, the acts of weaving and embellishment are reimagined here as totally avant-garde tools that ‘make it possible to reinvent an everyday object, even a humble one, transforming it into a unique piece,’ writes LOEWE. 

all images courtesy LOEWE

turning handweaving into an avant-garde tool 

The LOEWE chairs reveal different weaving techniques with multiple materials; some are typical of the brand’s tradition — like leather and raffia — and others, like the foil of thermal blankets, are totally unexpected. Shearling and felt are also used to cover some parts of the chairs, giving them a delicate and tactile finish. Equally surprising is the use of flashy colors that emphasize the material combinations and decorative reinvention. ‘Each creation results from an innovative dialogue between the artist-craftsmen, their favorite material, and the object itself,’ continues LOEWE (see more here). 

using ‘stick’, ‘cane’, and Lloyd loom chairs 

The humble ‘stick’ chairs become the starting point for an unbridled woven decoration. Quite varied in shape, what these seating pieces have in common is their method of construction: the uprights and legs are fixed into the seat and held in position using a special joint, offering an ideal basis for the creative weaving and decorations typical of this project.

Meanwhile, thirty cane chairs have been embellished: twenty-two are period originals, while the remaining eight have been specially made by a British atelier specializing in cane chairs. ‘The term ‘cane chair’ refers to the apparent simplicity of execution of domestic furniture elements that were considered trivial for a long time, therefore, not important enough to be documented. The first evidence dates back to the time of Hywel Dda, a Welsh ruler of the 10th century,’ explains LOEWE.

using unexpected materials

Finally, eight Lloyd Loom chairs created by the Belgian company Vincent Sheppard complete this collection. The Lloyd Loom, the original procedure for making a resistant weft, originated in the United States in 1917, during the First World War, when the entrepreneur Marshall Burns Lloyd invented a technique in which the paper was twisted around a metal wire subsequently woven mechanically in large sheets. LOEWE Lloyd Loom chairs are made of natural fibers and leather. One is painted with a mushroom motif, while the rest is woven according to the Lloyd Loom technique, further expanding the art of weaving in LOEWE creative production.

All the exhibited LOEWE chairs are for sale; you can catch them until April 23, 2023, at Palazzo Isimbardi. 

flashy colors engulf the designs

using raffia as a weaving material

the LOEWE chairs demonstrate how handweaving can become an avant-garde tool

behind the scenes / during production

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project info:

name: LOEWE Chairs 

design: LOEWE | @loewe

location: Palazzo Isimbardi, Milan, Italy

program: Salone del Mobile 2023

running dates: 17-23 April, 2023