Bertoia Plastic Side Chair des. Harry Bertoia, 1956 - black shell / chrome base (made by Knoll)

Bertoia side chair with black plastic shell and chrome base.

The Bertoia Side Chair with plastic shell is extremely comfortable. It's modern, colourful and looks great in any environment. 

Dimensions: 52.3 cm W x 54.6 cm D x 77 cm H with seat height of 45.6 cm

To celebrate the centennial of Bertoia's birth, at the Salone del Mobile 2015 Knoll unveiled this updated version the Side Chair. It has a chromium-plated steel rod structure and a polypropylene seat in multiple colourways that faithfully replicates the unique, linear design of the original.

"In sculpture, I am primarily concerned with space, form and the characteristics of metal. In the chairs, many functional problems have to be satisfied first... but when you get right down to it, the chairs are studies in space, form and metal too." - Harry Bertoia

About Bertoia and Knoll

In 1950 Hans and Florence Knoll offered sculptor Harry Bertoia a chance to freely apply his artistic concepts to the creation of a chair to include in their collection, still in its early phase. “We decided to let him work in total freedom, to avoid obstructing the creativity that already set him apart in the panorama of designers at the time,” Florence Knoll recalled. Bertoia, in constant pursuit of perfection, worked by hand, trying out many variations, with the aim of shaping space while utilising a light, airy structure. Eventually several different seats were created, each with its own specific function: from the Side Chair and Stool for the dining area to the Diamond and Large Diamond armchairs, all the way to the lounge model, the Bird Chair, by way of the Asymmetric model. Each had its own natural and sculptural form. The entire 1952 Bertoia Collection is  available to order from The Home at Salts Mill.