Patchworked Chair — reilly blum

Patchworked Chair

Cherry wood, cloth, webbing, buckles, clay
21” x 20” x 33”
2020

This chair seeks to gamify interior space by making use of 8-bit imagery and patterns lifted from the visual lexicon of early video games. With this piece, the act of sitting becomes a game in and of itself: the chair employs interchangeable suspension upholstery techniques which can be manipulated at the user’s whim. The green balls are affixed to each leg with a double-ended screw are fully removable, allowing the backrest to slide off and be washed, reversed, or replaced. The cushion rests upon a skin of fabric which is stretched and then belted to the chair’s underbelly using a system of webbing and cobra buckles. Both the seat cushion and backrest are patchworked in the American tradition, using small pieces of cloth to form imagery and pattern. The cushion features an invisible zip closure, and is fully lined with a removable insert made of only natural materials including upholstery-grade felt, horse hair, and cotton batting. I hand-turned, jointed, and finished the cherry-wood frame; a minute shoulder on the back legs prevents the fabric backrest from sliding down to the seat surface.

©Reilly Blum

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