6.24.14 | Helsinki, Finland | Artek recently introduced their first chair designed by Konstantin Grcic. This collaboration came out of a three year process and was first launched in North America at ICFF last month.

The Rival chair is designed with an eye towards those who work from home. In its use of materials, Rival reflects its roots in the legacy of Artek, with a mix of solid birch for the legs, laminated birch for the arms and back and in the circular geometry of the seat. It also has a technical finesse, which makes it a true piece of modern design. The swivel feature offers a clear purpose to the function of the chair. Grcic designed the legs milled from one piece of solid birch. This technique has recently been used in a number of chairs, resulting in the wood taking on a fluid quality more like molded plastic than timber. Grcic has maintained a more conventional form that reflects the materiality of birch. The birch of the back and the arms is displayed in a saw-cut lamella.

For Grcic, designing a chair works on a number of levels. First, there is the choice of materials, and it was clear that for the Rival, birch would play an important part. Second, there is the home office typology, a reflection of a contemporary approach to life. Lastly, there is what might be called the grammar of construction: the way in which a piece is put together. The first incarnation of Rival is an armchair with a high and a low back version, an upholstery seat choice with a three-dimensional textile or leather upholstery, available in a range of colors.