Movement 33 times over: congratulations from a design classic

[10-15-2007] On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the company, internationally acclaimed office furniture manufacturer Wilkhahn was given a special present: 33 designers and interior designers from the Asian Pacific area, as well as from the USA, designed a swivel chair based on the successful FS-Line to convey their congratulations. What resulted was an exhibition with unusual interpretations of one of the internationally most successful office chairs.

Bad Münder. Design classics are elegant and timeless, but can also be adaptable. With the "Centennial Chair Collection", Wilkhahn shows how both are possible. The exhibition focuses on the 211/8 swivel chair from the FS-Line. To mark Wilkhahn's centenary, 33 designers from leading architectural and design offices from Australia, China, India, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and the USA have gone to prove the qualities of the FS as an art object. Wilkhahn had asked those contributing to design a birthday wish using the FS design classic. Such well-known creative offices such as MMoser, Geyer, TVS, Hassell, to name but a few, were inspired to take up the challenge.


A design classic as art object: Werner Sauer with chairs from the "Centennial Chair Collection".

The designers transformed the canvas-covered swivel chair with their individual interpretations using pop prints, striking conversions and textile collage. What resulted is an exhibition in which the design classic is full of surprises. Wilkhahn's first showing of the "Centennial Chair Collection" was at this year's Sydney Design Festival. The European premiere of this showcase of unusual chairs took place on 8th Septem-ber during the ceremonial act to mark the centenary at company headquarters in Bad Münder. This November, the exhibition will be running in Sydney and will be on in the USA in 2008. "The exhibition goes to show that Wilkhahn design inspires people throughout the world. With their birthday wishes, the 33 teams have paid very special tribute to the FS-Line" says Wilkhahn Managing Director Dr. Jochen Hahne. The exhibition catalogue in English in A6 format is available as a PDF file at http://www.wilkhahn.com/.


Klaus Franck with more chairs from the exhibition.

FS-Line - continuous movement
Twenty-seven years ago, Klaus Franck and Werner Sauer revolutionized the concept of sitting. Their work was based on recognition of the fact that sitting still for long periods was not healthy. As a result, the two designers developed the FS-Line for Wilkhahn, a name which incorporated both their initials. Like no other product, the FS-Line stands for dynamic sitting: the chairs provide maximum room to manoeuvre, while requiring only minimum adjustment. Lateral swing arms allow synchronous movement of seat and back-rest sections by means of body weight. The FS-Line became an innovation that led to a new "DIN" (German Industrial) standard. Nearly thirty years after being designed, it still has appeal due to clear linear design and innovative ergonomics. It has been sold over three million times throughout the world, making it Wilkhahn's most successful swivel chair range to date.


Interpretation of the FS-Line by Emma Coulter (Geyer, Brisbane)

Design made in Germany
Like virtually no other company in the industry, Wilkhahn has stood for the quality label of "design made in Germany" for decades. Inspired by the Deutscher Werkbund, Bauhaus and the Ulm Academy of Design, the office chair manufacturer designs and develops high-quality furniture for conference and office applications. Since the 1990s, the company from Bad Münder has set itself the goal of combining enhanced utility value, lasting design and longevity within a unique and typical design language.

Press contact:
Burkhard Remmers
Wilkhahn Wilkening + Hahne GmbH+Co. KG
Press + Public Relations
Fritz-Hahne-Straße 8
31848 Bad Münder
Germany
Tel. ++49 (0) 5042 / 999 -169
Fax ++49 (0) 5042 / 999 - 230
burkhard.remmers@wilkhahn.de
http://www.wilkhahn.com/

Steffen Küßner
fischerAppelt Kommunikation GmbH
Friedrichstraße 149
10117 Berlin
Germany
Tel. ++49 (0) 30 / 726146 - 704
Fax ++49 (0) 30 / 726146 – 244
skn@fischerappelt.de



> This press release as PDF-file (230 KB)


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