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Varier Bring Back their Iconic Variable Chair in Collaboration with Snøhetta
You’ve mostly seen and wondered how you sit on that weird chair in the corner of your office. Varier’s iconic Variable chair has been in Nordic homes and offices since 1972, and now it’s here with a new look, courtesy of Norwegian architects Snøhetta. Both Varier and Snøhetta are powerhouses in their own right, so when I heard they were coming together to reimagine a design icon, I was excited.
While plenty of people continue to work from home, comfort and functionality is important, which is exactly where the Variable comes into its own. It’s ergonomically designed, allowing for you to rock, sway and move however you desire, all without hurting your neck and back. It’s also free of any moving parts of complex fixtures, so there’s no chance of it breaking or damaging your floor, clothes etc. I for one know that my sitting posture is not to be desired, so something that encourages bodily comfort AND doesn’t look like it was made by Frankenstein is a big win. After all, how a piece of furniture fits in with its surroundings is important, considering most of our homes now double as offices. The chair can be neatly tucked or even hung from your desk, keeping it neatly out of the way, but in a well-designed manner.
“Our offices are in biking distance to one another, and we had a couple of really fun and interesting months working hands-on with the team. The way they approached the task, working with the basis of a concept and a set of criteria, felt reassuring. Fabrics which did not meet the criteria where simply removed, making the selection process intuitive and the collection cohesive.”
Photos by: Niklas Adrian Vindelev
“We wanted to celebrate Varier s unique approach in design and accentuate the importance of movement in their new textile collection. Human movement is dynamic, contrastive and colourful. We created an active and calm colour palette that represent the duality of motions that are embodied in their design.”
For this collaboration, Varier were looking for someone who would reimagine their chair in a way they wouldn’t, and the folks at Snøhetta came to mind. ‘No frills’ was the approach for this project, with Snøhetta thinking about movement and idea of work as inspiration for the colours and materials they picked. May I add that all of Varier’s fabrics come from Danish textile company Kvadrat, and if you’ve ever sat on a piece of Danish furniture, Kvadrat most likely made the textiles for it. The colours are bright, but not unworkable, and I appreciate the breath of fresh air they would give to almost any environment. But don’t worry, there are more subtle colours like black, grey and navy blue, for those of you who aren’t quite ready to take the leap. The base of the chair comes in natural or black lacquered ash, and you can mix and match the fabric and wood to suit your environment, whether it be for your office or reading corner.
Find your personal Variable style HERE, there’s something for everyone!
