Green Peacock Chair by Dror Benshetrit
Designed in 2009.
I took this photo September 24, 2011 in the Milan Triennale Design Museum
A peacock tail is a remarkable creation. The feathers are lightweight and fragile, but become powerful when positioned in a particular way. I wondered if it was possible to give this quality to a textile. Could a strategic configuration give fabric uncharacteristic strength?
We discovered that folding felt into a gentle wave provided enough structure to support a person’s body weight. When gathered into a crescent, the undulating form mimicked the shape of a peacock tail (and the backrest of a chair). As a fowl’s tail is made solely of feathers, it was important for our design to somehow let the felt stand on its own.
The Peacock Chair consists of three felt rings, which are folded and clipped into place on a simple metal frame. No stitching, glue, or additional material is required for the felt to maintain its distinctive profile. Manufactured by Cappellini, the cocoon-like lounger, now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection, is among the Italian furniture maker’s most iconic pieces.