 1:6 scale miniature Rietveld slat chair and packaging by Halil Hinz Hand-made miniature Rietveld unpainted slat chair
Over the years I’ve written several posts about Rietveld’s Red Blue chair and its variants. There’s Vitra’s 1:6 scale miniature Red Blue chair; there’s Nori Arts Handicrafts Workshop’s 1:5 scale miniature unpainted slat chair (with side panels); and there Halil Hinz’s 1:6 scale miniature unpainted slat chair.  side-by-side comparison We featured Halil’s miniature chairs in February when he was selling three different versions (unpainted slat; unpainted slat with side panels, and painted slat) on eBay. Halil is a master carpen-ter and he makes the miniature chairs as a hobby.
 side-by-side comparison I’ve been fortunate to have added one to my collection. It came in a sturdy wooden crate, not dissimilar to Vitra’s 'holzkisten', with the intriguing curly red plastic strips inside for protect-ion. Mine is the unpainted slat chair (without the side panels).
It’s based on a different version of the chair from the Red Blue chair. The seat back panel is slightly higher and both the seat and the back panels are wider. The workmanship is outstanding – it’s a very welcome addition to my collection.
 Halil's miniature unpainted slat chair compared to Vitra's miniature Red Blue chair Halil tells me he is working on miniatures of other Rietveld chair designs, which will be ready in 3-4 weeks. We will feature them “as and when”
If anyone is interested in adding one of Halil’s miniature chairs to their collection, he can be contacted on joi738@aol.com.
 1:6 scale Rietveld Red Blue model chair kit [1] Hand-made miniature chairs Rietveld Red Blue 1:6 scale model chair kit
Earlier this year, we featured the hand-made miniature Rietveld Red Blue chairs in the post directly below. I’d incorrectly assumed that they’d been made from a Rietveld Heirs Do-It-Yourself kit (although I think I could be forgiven since a Rietveld Heirs booklet features in several of the photographs).
Halil Hinz, who made the chairs, set me straight: he is a master carpenter and he made the miniatures by hand (more about Halil on Tuesday).
Rietveld Heirs D-I-Y Red Blue chair kit - all photographs [2] I’d also incorrectly assumed that the Rietveld Heirs D-I-Y kits, having seen them occasionally on the internet, were still available in shops. Halil sent photographs of one of his kits (above) and from that I did some research on the internet and discovered that Rietveld Heirs stopped making the kits circa 1985.
I first published this post on 9 May 2012 (nearly one year ago to the day!) when Achim Kretzmer sent photographs of his Rietveld Heirs
D-I-Y kit for the Berlin chair and end table. He included photographs of each page from the booklet that came with the kit, which I did not publish. I didn’t realise at the time how special the photographs were and how lucky we were to receive them. I’ve included them now, below. I must apologise to Mr Kretzmer for not publishing them sooner - better late than never, I suppose.
 My Christmas "haul of 30 chairs" I’ve got a 1:6 scale Rietveld Red Blue chair in my collection that came with my “haul” of 30 chairs that I bought in December 2010. I reckon that it’s a D-I-Y chair, perhaps from the same family of D-I-Y kits as Mr Kretzmer’s D-I-Y Berlin chair and End Table.
Three Red Blue chairs were included in the collection of 30 miniatures chairs; one was 1:5 scale and the other two were 1:6 scale.
I already had the Vitra Design Museum version of the Red Blue chair and it was obvious that these were hand-made, so I wasn't particularly interested in them.
 Vitra (left) and hand-made Red Blue chairs I hadn't noticed until I researched this post and compared the different models that the seat panel on my hand-made miniature Red Blue chair is wider (almost the full width of the chair - see photograph above) than the seat panel on the miniature Vitra model; they must have been based on different versions of the full-scale Red Blue chair.
D-I-Y Red Blue chair kit - double-click on images to enlarge Interestingly, the D-I-Y kit for the Red Blue chair above was found in a thrift shop for $1, compared to the one (top) listed on Uniques & Antiques internet auction, which I would guess sold for a lot more.
 Do-it-yourself miniature Rietveld Berlin chair and End Table kit [3] 1:6 scale D-I-Y miniature Rietveld Berlin chair and End Table model kit
Following on from our recent post about Gerard Dago Jové's hand-made Rietveld Berlin chair, something completely different:  pre-cut pieces: End Table (l);Berlin chair [3] Today I received an e-mail from Achim Kretzmer with these photographs of his 1:6 scale do-it-yourself Rietveld Berlin chair and End Table. Mr Kretzmer, you will recall, sent photographs of his prototype Eames DSS chair from his collection, which we featured last September.
As you can see, the D-I-Y kit comes with pre-cut pieces for both the Berlin chair and the companion End Table. Also included are black, white, two shades of grey and red pots of paints. There’s also an instruction booklet; we have included all the pages in the slide show below.
1:6 scale Berlin chair and End Table model kit - click on images to enlarge [3] As you can see from the packaging above, the kit is from 1985 – Mr Kretzmer has been saving it for just the right time and he assures us that he will send photographs of the completed miniature Berlin chair and End Table as soon as he has finished painting and assembling them. We're thrilled and grateful in equal measure to receive information and photographs from readers of MiniatureChairMan. I appreciate the effort that Mr Kretzmer has taken to photograph his Berlin chair, End Table model kit (and booklet!).
Many thanks Mr Kretzmer - we appreciate it. Instruction booklet - Berlin chair and End table [3] Rietveld End Table Full-scale End tables - double-click on images to enlarge As was Rietveld’s wont, he designed several variations of his End Table. The first was the Brugman End Table from 1923, which is 600-mm high and, in addition to the usual primary colours, included grey paint. The final version, some say for the Schröder House, also circa 1923, gains in grace and finesse by reducing the height of the bottom element of the vertical support by 150-mm to make a visually better-balanced table. The final version, which is included in this kit, omits the grey paint from the earlier Brugman version and employs only primary colours of red, blue and yellow with black and white accents.
 Hand-made D-I-Y miniature Rietveld Red-Blue chairs [1] Click to enlarge. Hand-made D-I-Y miniature Rietveld Red-Blue chairs
Every time I think there’s nothing left to write about, I find something fantastic that I just have to bring to the reader’s attention.
I don’t usually make a habit of writing about miniatures from eBay, but in this case, I’ve made an exception. These hand-made Rietveld 1:6 scale miniatures are for sale on eBay.de. They're hand-made using a Rietveld D-I-Y kit, which we have featured previously.
There are three miniature versions of Rietveld’s Red-Blue chair: first, the unpainted slat armchair, which we featured previously in 1:5 scale by Nori Arts Handicrafts Workshop. Next, there's a white painted and a natural veneer version of the Red-Blue chair. I believe the red-blue version of the Red-Blue chair pictured is from Vitra Design Museum. It's great to see all four versions together in the photograph at the top of the page. Finally, there are painted and natural veneer versions of Rietveld’s Steltman chair, which was our first post in this hand-made miniatures section, featuring Dirk Dowald's handiwork (www.miniaturstuhl.de). I don't know if these too are from a D-I-Y kit. Anyone? Anyone?
All but the white Red-Blue chair are gone. The auction runs until 17 February 2013, so if you hurry, you can bid for it. [1], [3], [4] and [5] photographs from eBay.de now removed. [2] Photograph from eBay.deIf anyone knows who makes these D-I-Y kits or where to find them, I would love to hear from you.
 Miniature hand-made Aarnio Rocket stool [1] Hand-made miniatures by Gerard Dago Jové Miniature Aarnio Rocket stool
The Rocket stool is a modern interpretation of a traditional milking stool by Finnish interior designer Eero Aarnio (born in 1932 in Helsinki). Aarnio studied at the Art and Design School in Helsinki with Ilmari Tapiovaara as his teacher.
 miniature Rocket stool [1] Playful, experimental and sculptural forms are typical of Aarnio's approach to modern design. Well known for his innovative furniture designs in the 1960s, most notably his plastic and fibreglass chairs such as the Ball chair, the Pastilli chair and the Tomato chair. The Rocket stool shows that he is also skilled in wood product design. The "Popeye" style bulging legs of the Rocket stool (and especially the Baby Rocket) are reminiscent of the legs from Carl Malmsten’s Lilla Åland chair.
 1:1 Rocket and Baby Rocket stools [2] Aarnio designed this three-legged stool in 1995 for his own use; it only became part of Artek's product range after Tom Dixon saw it in Aarnio's kitchen. In 2006, Aarnio introduced the companion Baby Rocket, a child-sized version of same stool.
The full-scale Rocket stool is manufactured by Artek, Finland from 1995. Materials include solid oak seat and legs in a soaped finish or in black, white or red lacquered paint. Dimensions of the 1:6 scale miniature Rocket Stool: (Dia/H): 53-mm/121-mm.
Many thanks as always to Gerard Dago Jové for kindly allowing us to feature his hand-made miniature chairs (or stool in this instance) on MiniatureChairMan. To see more of Gerard’s hand-made miniatures check out his blog: www.seualacadira.blogspot.com
 Hand-made miniature Carlo Mollino Pavia café chair from Casa del Sole [1] Hand-made miniatures by Gerard Dago Jové Miniature Carlo Mollino Pavia café chair
 Carlo Mollina [2]  miniature Pavia café chair [1] Carlo Mollino (1905 –1973) was an Italian architect, furniture designer, teacher and photographer. Born in Turin, Piedmont, Mollino was the son of Eugenio Mollino, an engineer.
As he grew up, Mollino became interested in a variety of topics that were as outrageous as his art, such as downhill skiing, the occult, racing cars and stunt piloting.
He was once credited as saying, "Everything is permissible as long as it is fantastic". That credo was certainly reflected throughout his body of work.
 miniature Pavia café chair [1] Mollino's architecture and furniture are famous for their ability to enable occupants to manipulate volumes at a whim. More than a little inspired by the furniture of Antonio Gaudi, the Pavia café chair exemplifies Mollino's sculpturally inspired furniture.
Conceived for the dining room for Mollino’s Casa del Sole chalet and hotel (1947-1955), the chair is composed of basic elements - the sculpted back pierces the seat and joins the rear legs to create a fluid form.
 Mollino's Casa del Sole, Cervinia [3] Mollino drew on traditional rustic designs for inspiration.
The complex leg system is distinguished by the thru-tenon joinery. The Pavia café is located in the same ski resort as Mollino's earlier Casa del Sole, in which Mollino first employed the iconic chair design. Materials include solid oak seat, legs and back with brass bolts and screws.
Originally made by Ettore Canali, Brescia, Italy, 1954.
Approximate dimensions of the 1:6 scale Pavia chair (L/H/W):
75-mm/150-mm/73-mm
Once again I'm grateful to Gerard Dago Jové for allowing us to feature his handmade miniature chairs on MiniatureChairMan. Thanks Gerard. Check out Gerard's blog: www.seualacadira.blogspot.com
 Hand-made miniature Nathan Lerner 'Chair in a Box' by Gerard Dago Jové [1] Hand-made miniatures by Gerard Dago Jové Miniature Nathan Lerner 'Chair in a Box'
 miniature 'Chair in a Box' [1] Chicago-born artist, painter, designer, teacher and photographer Nathan Lerner (1913–1997) was one of the first students to enrol at the New Bauhaus, in Chicago.
With the support of Walter Gropius — a lecturer at Harvard — Laszlo Moholy-Nagy founded the New Bauhaus in 1937. Lerner became one of its first scholarship students and turned increasingly to photographic experimentation, even co-authoring a book on the subject.
After graduating, he stayed at the New Bauhaus as Dean and Educational Director of the Institute of Design until 1949, when he formed his own company specialising in low-cost consumer items with simple forms: moulded plastic bottles and containers, lamps, toys, modular furniture, etc. Some of these objects, such as the familiar plastic Honeybear honey jar*, became American design icons.
 miniature 'Chair in a Box' [1] 'Chair in a box' was designed by Lerner while a student at the New Bauhaus. Sold by mail order through Popular Home Magazine, the birch plywood chair came in six pieces, pre-drilled and flat packed in a cardboard box. The purchaser was able to assemble the chair at home and paint or upholster to his
or her own taste.
Approximate dimensions of the 1:6 scale 'Chair in a Box' (L/H/W):
67-mm/125-mm/67-mm
I don't know where Gerard Dago Jové finds all these great chairs to make into miniatures. This is a terrific design - thank you Gerard for allowing us to feature 'Chair in a Box' on MiniatureChairMan. Be sure to check out Gerard's blog: www.seualacadira.blogspot.com Full-scale 'Chair in a Box' - double-click on images to enlarge  Lerner designed Honeybear jar [3] *Lerner designed the familiar plastic ‘Honeybear’ honey jar, one of the USA’s most emblematic marketing icons, as well as the aerosol can and Neutrogena soap.
He should also be remembered as the man who discovered and preserved the work of Henry Darger. Lerner was his landlord at 851 Webster St, Chicago. After Darger died in 1972, Lerner found his writings and drawings the next summer and in 1977 had them exhibited in Realms of the Unreal: The Work of Henry Darger.
 Gerard Dago Jove's hand-made miniature FH4216 chair [1] Hand-made miniatures by Gerard Dago Jové Miniature Mogens Lassen FH4216 chair
 Hand-made miniature FH4216 [1] Born in Copenhagen, architect and furniture designer Mogens Lassen (1901-1987) is today considered one of the pioneers of Danish Functionalism; his internationally recognised works span the spectrum from buildings to interior and furniture design.
Mogens Lassen was fascinated by the possibilities inherent in Functionalist design and by the Bauhaus, whose principles informed many of his most best-known designs.
It was during a stay in Paris from 1927-28 that the works and ideas
of Le Corbusier also influenced Lassen's cubistic architectural ideals.
 Hand-made miniature FH4216 [1] These ideals can clearly be seen in Lassen’s furniture designs. The Inn Series is the proper name for Mogens Lassen's dining group for Fritz Hansen. Designed circa 1962, the geometric shapes - the squares of the FH4216 chair seat and FH4226 table, and the semicircular top rail of the chair’s backrest, were created with almost mathematical precision.
Materials include natural or painted beech with woven paper cord seat .
The FH4216 chair and FH4226 table were manufactured by Fritz Hansen from 1964 and were in production for seven or eight years.
Dimensions of the 1:6 scale FH4216 chair (L/H/W):
98-mm/122-mm/98-mm
 From Fritz Hansen's archives: the full-scale FH4216 chairs and FH4226 table [2] I’m really quite impressed with Lassen’s Inn Series table and chair. Look at the photograph above at right. The shamrock configuration is very practical – especially for tight spaces. I especially like the way Lassen has accentuated the geometry of the square by adding the ‘X’ pattern in the weaving of the seat cord – noughts and crosses, if you will. Not only does the 'X' appear in the seat, but it repeats itself across the table from chair to chair in an implied 'X', thus reinforcing the concept. Very clever, indeed.As always I’m indebted to Gerard Dago Jové for allowing us to feature his hand-made miniature chairs on MiniatureChairMan. Many thanks Gerard.
Be sure to visit Gerard’s blog: seualacadira.blogspot Update 26 January 2013 Kaleidoscope from Inspiration '66
Kaleidoscope - double-click on images to enlarge Recently I stumbled upon these groovy photographs on Fritz Hansen's Facebook page. They have nothing to do with miniature chairs but I like the images - and I'm pleased to have found the original colour version of the Lassen 4226 table above. All tables and chairs are from Fritz Hansen's range. The photographs are from a 1966 article called Kaleidoscope; they were featured in a Fritz Hansen magazine called Inspiration '66. These kaleidoscope-inspired photos were styled by Bård Henriksen, Fritz Hansen's Head of Design at the time.  The Kubus Candlestick Collection [3] Mogens Lassen Kubus candlestick holders
Mogens Lassen designed the classic Kubus candlestick holder in 1962. The result was the iconic square shaped lacquered steel frame topped with candle holders, which is universally admired for its sense of functionalism, mathematical precision and elegant simplicity. In 1983, 21 years after designing the original Kubus candle holder, he evolved the collection to become a comprehensive mathematical calculation.
 Mogens Lassen c. 1983 [3] Lassen took his inspiration from the Bauhaus school, designing a collection consisting of all the Bauhaus geometric symbols – square, triangle and circle – and combining with them the Bauhaus's integrity, simplicity and functionality.
The current collection comprises Line, Kubus 1, 3 and 8, Circle 3 and 6, Triangle and Bowl.
Until the 1980s it was only Mogens Lassen's own family and friends who were able to acquire the candle holders; now Søren Lassen and Nadia Lassen, grandson and great-granddaughter of Mogens Lassen, in collaboration with Paustian, have brought Lassen’s candle holder designs into production through their company By Lassen.  The Bowl by Mogens Lassen [3] I'm particularly fascinated by the Bowl, which was inspired by Mogens Lassen’s original sketches.
It's only in 2012 that it has been manufactured. To my eye, it looks to be derived from the same design principles – or mathematical calculations if you will – as the FH4216 chair. The Bowl would sit perfectly on Lassen's FH4226 table above.
 Miniature hand-made Rietveld High-back Armchair [1] Hand-made miniatures by Gerard Dago Jové Rietveld High-back Armchair
 miniature High-back Armchair [1] The High-back Armchair was designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1924 for the Schröder house, but it was later used for the Harrenstein-Schrader family and the home of the Birza family.
The basic construction is the same as the Red Blue chair except the wooden members are round rather than square, the seat and back supports are curved instead of straight and, of course, the chair is black rather than the more familiar red-blue colour scheme.
 miniature High-back Armchair [1] Materials include wood billet frame with curved laminated wood seat and back, all painted black. Manufacturer of the full-scale (1:1) High-back Armchair:Rietveld's furniture workshop, Utrecht, Netherlands. Approximate dimensions of the 1:6 scale High-back Armchair:L/H/W: 108mm/153mm/127mmI'm grateful to Gerard for allowing us to feature his hand-made miniature chair from his collection. Many thanks.Be sure to visit Gerard's blog: seualacadira.blogspot
 miniature hand-made Rietveld Dining Room chair [1] Hand-made miniatures by Gerard Dago Jové Rietveld Dining Room chair
 Full-scale Dining Room chair [2] Designed in 1908 at age 20, Gerrit Rietveld made this Dining Room chair after leaving his father’s shop and joining CJ Begeer’s Jewellery Company in Utrecht as a draughtsman. He was also attending evening classes in art and architecture at the time. Gerard Dago Jové’s miniature chair is most probably modelled after the Dining Room chair from Utrecht Centraal Museum’s collection, which was included in a 2008 exhibition of Rietveld designed furniture.
A second, nearly identical Dining Room chair is in a private collection in Utrecht. A wider, painted 'bankstoeltje' or bench seat version of the Dining Room chair (without a leather seat), also from 1908, recently sold at auction at Christie's for $20,977.  miniature Dining Room chair [1] Materials include (stained fir or pine) deal with leather seat, square uprights joined by a leather strap backrest
fastened with brass nails.
Gerard has taken artistic license with his hand-made miniature and introduced an ‘X’ pattern in the leather seat and also attached it using brass nails. The leather seat on the original chair appears to be glued to the chair (see photo of original above) and it does not include an 'X' feature in the leather.
 miniature Dining Room chair [1] Approximate dimensions of the 1:6 scale Dining Room chair:
(L/H/W): 67-mm/144-mm/92-mm
The miniature Rietveld Dining Room chair is another hand-made chair from Gerard Dago Jové’s fantastic miniature chair collection. I am grateful, as always, to Gerard for continuing to allow us to feature his hand-made miniature chairs on MiniatureChairMan.
Many thanks Gerard.
[1] Photographs from seualacadira.blogspot [2] Photograph from Chris' Travel Photos on flickr [3] For an interesting collection of lesser-known Rietveld chairs see mondo-blogo. Being a family blog, I must warn you, if you are offended by profanity - look away now.
 miniature Windsor chair painted in the style of Tapiovaara [1] Hand-made miniatures by Gerard Dago Jové Miniature Windsor chair painted in the style of
Ilmari Tapiovaara
 The man himself: Gerard Dago Jové with the Windsor chair before re-painting [1]  Before...with a Tapiovaara Pirkka chair [1] The Windsor chair at right came with my first instalment of Melerski miniatures (Melerski Windsor) in November 2011. Since it arrived I’ve had mixed emotions about it: it's been the ‘odd miniature out’ in my collection. It’s 1:5 scale and doesn’t seem to logically fit-in anywhere in my collection.
Months ago, while researching for the post about Carl Malmsten's Lilla Åland chair, I found photographs of 'Windsor' chairs designed by Ilmari Tapiovaara, and I immediately fell in love with them (see photos below).
 ....and after [1] Tapiovaara's chairs all have the same back design: the spindles radiate in towards the centre the same as my miniature Windsor chair; everything is painted gloss black except the seat, which is solid teak. I sent a photograph to Gerard Dago Jové and asked him, if I sent the miniature chair to him, would he paint it in the style of Tapiovaara?
I think the finished product looks stunning – Gerard’s done a wonderful job – it's much better than before, wouldn't you agree?
 1:1 Tapiovaari Fanett chairs [2] Ilmari Tapiovaari Fanett chair
The Fanett dining chairs were originally designed in 1949 by Ilmari Tapiovaara and made in Finland by Asko. The seat is natural teak; the base, spindles and back are ebonised.
A main characteristic of Tapiovaara's work is that he explored a chair's possibilities through multiplicity: he created many versions of each of his important pieces - reissuing them in different shapes and sizes. He did this, for example, with the Fanett chair, which later became the basis for the Pirkka chair and its companion table, bench and stool (1955) and the Mademoiselle lounge and rocking chairs (1957).
1:1 Tapiovaara Fanett, Pirkka and Mademoiselle chairs - double-click to enlarge I love Tapiovaara's designs; I would love to see Vitra Design Museum make a miniature of either the Domus chair or the Fanett chair - or even better, both.
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