Stabellö
The Stabelle is a traditional type of chair, common in German-speaking Alpine regions. Made of massive wood, it is distinguished by its slanting legs and the backrest which is anchored in the seat. A standard feature of farming households for many years, today it is frequently found in hotels, Alpine huts and rural or rustic residential facilities. Stabellö takes important elements of the traditional chair – the seat and the turned legs are still made of massive wood – but reinterprets it in one crucial respect: in order to make the chair more comfortable to sit on, the backrest (which is obtainable in two variants) consists of layered wood that has been shaped in three dimensions. By contrast with the real Stabelle, this is not anchored to the seat but linked to it by means of a clearly visible screw system on the back side of the chair. Two conspicuous holes give the back a “face” while at the same time serving as handles.
Comments of the nominators
An excitingly novel interpretation of a time-honoured chair type, which justifies itself at once just on the basis of the much-improved functionality. The attempt to give the chair a friendly face is also successful and convincing. One structural detail – the connection of the backrest to the seat – is startlingly honest and will stimulate discussion in the trade. That in itself is no bad thing.
Comments of the jury
In times of retro design, it is in itself refreshing when for once, in preference to the umpteenth classic from the 20th century, a much older type of furniture is singled out as the starting point for a design project. The article in question here is the Stabelle, a type of chair common in Alpine regions. The Stabellö chair comes across as a reinterpretation of the traditional wooden chair, but in one decisive respect it deviates from its historic model – in the form and structure of the back. Instead of a backrest in massive wood, the Stabellö comes with an ergonomic, three-dimensionally shaped backrest, which is moreover linked to the seat by means of a lightly sprung metal structure. The improved comfort this results in is the justification of the design and made an impression on the jury.
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