Space Design: Having a passion for architecture and furniture design, several of Henry Van de Velds’ most famous works occurred relatively early in his career. This particular piece, called the Bloemenwerf chair, was named after, and designed for his house in Brussels in 1898. By designing his own home as well as the furniture that went inside it, Henry was able to create the environment of Gesamtkunstwerk within his home, making his entire home a “total work of art”. Influenced by William Morris’s “Red House”, the work demonstrates the decorative and functional qualities and ideals that Henry Van de Velde considered important when creating designs.  “Each component exists because it is a structural necessity and the chair’s decorative qualities come from the slightly curving back and legs” (bonluxat). The top of the design uses tapered pieces of ash wood to create visual interest and a comfortable resting position for the user. The beauty of the chair is shown through its curved and tapered sides on each end of the chair. The side pieces and naturalistic curves show off its beauty and create tension, showing better structural stability through the tapered design. The design of the seat is created using a woven straw, using the look of the natural material to create a patterned look as well as additional strength added by layering the material over one another. When finished, the Bloemenwerf chair stands 98.5cm high and is 58cm wide, making the chair slightly taller than the average chair. After the completion of the Gesamtkunstwerk, his work became so popular that many clients requested a dining room that looked exactly like his dining room in Bloemenwerf. For the furniture Van De Velde used ash, a sturdy and strong simple wood, alluding to Henry’s concept of functionalism within his works. However, clients often asked for exotic woods and seats made of leather or fabric instead of the original woven straw base. 

 

Citations 

Henry Van de Velde BLOEMENWERF ARMCHAIR. (n.d.). Retrieved February 09, 2021, from http://www.bonluxat.com/a/Henry_van_de_Velde_Bloemenwerf_Armchair.html

Museum, V. (n.d.). Tropon: Van De velde, Henri: V&A explore the collections. Retrieved February 09, 2021, from

Image resource

[Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=JwRHDVqr&id=D6EDDDAA989168C84B864E9441DC33D925C5059B&thid=OIP.JwRHDVqrdz-4L-2o7ePZMAHaKl&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fchairblog.eu%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2011%2f01%2fBloemenwerf-Chair-by-Henry-van-de-Velde.jpeg&exph=600&expw=420&q=henery+van+de+velde+chair&simid=608043000485578784&ck=3F3E1F622ED2F1CB65869754EC97A941&selectedIndex=9&FORM=IRPRST&ajaxhist=0