The Coro

na Chair

Poul V

olther

Inspired by the Space Age, the name stems fromt h e o u t e r p l a s m a o f t h e s u n .

Volther emerged into the furniture and design world in the 1960s. In 1964 Volther made the Corona Chair. The name was inspired by the Corona, or outer plasma of the sun, which can clearly be seen during a solar eclipse. This caught Volther’s attention when he saw time lapse photography of such event.

When it was first released, its modern look did not please the European people. However, it was highly admired in the United State. It was manufactured by Erik Jergensen, who had a workshop in Svendborg, Denmark to upholster furniture.

t h e o u t e r p l a s m a o f t h e s u n .

The Corona chair mimics the vertebrate of the human body.The rib-like supports reach around to provide a resting place for the arms. Its covers can be made from high grain Italian leather or fabrics of different colors. The spine of the chair is made from stainless steel and the foam is molded polyurethane. The legs and frame are matt chromed spring steel.

The original Corona chair was

m a d e o u t o f o a k .

the oak was not strong enough to provide sufficient support. A year later the EJ 605 model was released, which was made out of steel. Finally in 1964, Volther made the Corona chair that we see today with the stainless steel frame, molded polyurethane, and Ital-ian leather. The Corona chair was used by the European Union during the EU Summit in Copenhagen in 2002.

The original Corona chair was

H o w e v e r ,

Tr end i n

e s s a

n d f ad s

were no

t part

of Poul

Volth

er’s b

eliefs

.

The D

anish

crafs

tman

belie

ved i

n true

functi

onality

, craf

tsman

ship,

and fi

ne

materia

ls. H

e was

a skil

led ca

binet

maker

seein

g as h

e cam

e fro

m the

Arts an

d Craf

ts move

ment.

At hea

rt,

he w

as a m

oderni

st, fu

turist

, and

functi

onalis

t. Vo

lther

gradu

ated f

rom

the C

openh

agen

Scho

ol of A

rts an

d

Crafts

and l

ater t

augh

t at t

he D

anish

Scho

ol of A

rt an

d Des

ign.

In 19

49, he w

orked u

nder

Borge

Moge

nsen

at th

e FDB de

sign s

tudio.

During

his t

ime h

ere, h

e mad

e sev

eral

sketch

es of c

hairs

inclu

ding

the

Tremmes

tol a

nd la

ter th

e

Corona

Cha

ir.

Danish Chairs, by Noritsugu Oda

Fall 2010Ringling College of Art and Design

Graphic Design 1Anna Jones

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