#yesbutisitcomfortable - Taliesin I (Origami) Chair
[UPDATED Nov 2023]
Watch on YouTube [2min video]: Taliesin I Origami Chair | Frank Lloyd Wright Furniture
I just made that hashtag (#) up ten seconds ago and here is why.
So I’ve been taking the time to photograph a few unique furniture pieces from Frank Lloyd Wright on my travels annnd I’ve been sitting in them for atleast 10 minutes…The things I do for you people 🤪
Why? Because I get asked all the time about Wrights furniture…
”Yes, but is it comfortable?”
Now scientifically-ish tested 😬, I can answer that question. This is the first chair…more coming. But lets nerd out on Wright’s Taliesin I chair.
Wright wrote in the Natural House (1954),
“Organic architecture calls for this chair which will not look like an apparatus but instead be seen as a gracious feature of its environment which can only be the building itself.”
Frank Lloyd Wright
In 1949, for the Garden Room at Taliesin West, Wright designed the Taliesin I armchair, also known as the origami chair, because of the way it recalls this Japanese art. To ensure, the production process is as streamlined as possible, the entire armchair could be fabricated from a single sheet of 4 x 8 feet of laminated plywood. In the photos @wrighttaliesin reupholstered them using the color pallet Wright had in the room in the 1950’s.
Now to the main event, I have been sitting in these chairs for over 10 years so I do feel qualified to answer this. The trick to sitting in this one is you have to sit all the way back, that way your arms lay ever so gently on the slanted arms rests. Great comfy back support. Also, the front of the seat is pointed so your feet can rest on either side and getting up is easier as you can scoot forward more to get your feet underneath you. Thick cushions are key here. And this design is less likely to tip forward due to the added anti-tipping feet (Wright added metal caps).
So on a scale of 1-10, I’m giving it a solid 9 out of 10.
Losing a point because it is VERY heavy and not easy to move which doesn’t really play into how comfortable it is but important nonetheless.
Wright designed the Taliesin I armchair, also known as the origami chair, because of the way it recalls this Japanese art.
Have you sat in the origami chair? What is your rank from 1-10? 10 = most comfortable. (Comment below!)
Want one? @cassinaofficial has an official license to produce them. Maybe they can send me one to do further testing? 🤞
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[Blog Article] #yesbutisitcomfortable - Taliesin I (Origami) Chair
[Video] Taliesin I Origami Chair | Frank Lloyd Wright Furniture