samer alameen khayzaran chairs at dilmos, milan

lebanese designer samer alameen has unveiled his latest work, ‘the chair affair’, at the dilmos exhibition venue in milan — for the first edition of brera design week. composed of 24 pieces, the collection is a contemporary take on the iconic oriental khayzaran chair.

‘chair affair’ exhibited at dilmos in milan — on the occasion of brera design week 2016

for this collection, samer alameen was influenced by the 16th century period when the chair became commonly used among people –specifically in turkey. during that period, coffee houses were emerging in istanbul for the first time and the visitor’s experience needed to be quite memorable. as a result, the oriental ‘coffee drinking’ chair was created.

fluorescent setting for the ‘opening’ dinner of samer alameen’s collection

dating back to the late 1800s, the khayzaran chair appeared in lebanon as a variation of the turkish one and was composed of wicker and beech wood; lebanese artisans also looked into the thonet — a famous french variation of the chair — to build their own creation. with time, this distinct and affordable furniture became an integral part of traditional seating in lebanon.

unfortunately, the natural materials that make up the chair were easily damaged on the longer run and needed constant maintenance. based on this inconvenience, the object gradually began losing its value and was replaced by cheap plastic armchairs — making the khayzaran design a distant memory.

samer alameen khayzaran chairs: mixing traditional, oriental features with more a contemporary design

therefore, ‘the chair affair’ exhibited at dilmos re-introduces the authentic khayzaran design by honoring the work of lebanese artisans and denouncing the massive production of plastic furniture. this time, samer alameen incorporated contemporary materials and techniques within the collection: the twenty four pieces were in fact crafted in stainless steel and finished with different fluorescent colors — creating a more relatable furniture icon for today’s ‘pop culture’ lifestyle.

khayzaran chair with silver finishing