I can say with confidence that this chair receives the most attention in the showroom from those looking for something off-beat, fun, and from those under the age of 15. Kids love this chair! (adults do too… they’re just, for the most part, more reserved about expressing unabashed glee for big purple chairs. Or yellow ones for that matter.
Amoebe Chair, 1970 by Verner Panton for Vitra
This chair also comes in an even cheekier version – the high back Amoebe. This design offers all the comfort of a lounge chair with a place to rest your head. It also has a little wrap over ceiling, you know, in case it starts to rain The curved top edge further emphasizes that whimsy that Verner Panton is known and loved for.
High Back Amoebe Chair by Verner Panton for Vitra
This chair is certainly not short of character – it’s human like form is very expressive – see below… Amoebe: “Let me out to play!”
High Back Amoebe Chair looking longingly outside by Verner Panton for Vitra
Available in an array of lovable colours, both Amoebes are orderable on our website and/or through our showroom – 250-384-2554. We also have a purple version in stock on SALE – check it out on our clearance page, here.
Crisp autumn air? Scarves and mittens? Holiday decor hits storefront windows? Hot tea and crackling fires? yah, yah, it’s all good, but what’s great about this time of year? Herman Miller is on SALE!
Today until December 12th, Herman Miller products are 15% off. Now that’s something to drink tea to.
Herman Miller is a canon of authentic mid century modern design – reproducing the greats: Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Isamu Noguchi. The design house also commissions and manufactures contemporary designs from an array of talent including Yves Behar, the designer behind Herman Miller’s most recent office chair SAYL. They are also, of course, the name behind the infamous Aeron chair. They sign their name to the groundbreaking Embody chair and continue to push boundaries in the area of contemporary ergonomic office design each and every day.
Platform Bench by George Nelson for Herman Miller - photo: hermanmiller.com
Noguchi Table by Isamu Noguchi for Herman Miller - photo: hermanmiller.com
SAYL side chair by Yves Behar for Herman Miller - photo: hermanmiller.com
Aeron Chair by Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick - photo: hermanmiller.com
Embody Chair by Bill Stumpf and Jeff Weber for Herman Miller - photo: hermanmiller.com
The newest addition to the Herman Miller line up is a partnership with Italian design company Magis.
This line carries products for indoor and outdoor and is committed to technology innovation, working with top designers from all over the world. Magis brings a breath of fresh air to an already impressive and dynamic selection of products in the Herman Miller portfolio. The best part? Magis products are also on SALE until December 12th!
Shop the sale for Magis by Herman Miller on our website, here.
Shop the sale for other great Herman Miller products on our website, here.
Muffin Pouffe by Matteo Bianchi – source: designboom.com
Italian designer Matteo Bianchi’s “Muffin Pouffe” looks good enough to eat. Or is it just that I am caught up in this crazy wonderful cupcake trend?
Muffin Pouffe by Matteo Bianchi - source: designboom.com
Presented at Tent London 2011 – one of the trade shows during London’s September Design Festival, this handcrafted piece can be customized vanilla, strawberry … with your choice of sprinkles! Muffin Pouffe is actually very functional despite its decorative exterior. Offering storage, seating, rest for aching feet … this muffin would be a welcomed addition to any space needing a little sweetening up.
Muffin Pouffe by Matteo Bianchi – source: designboom.com
I get that this ottoman might be a little too sweet for some spaces, and a little too wacky for others. There are some more savory occasional storage pieces and ottoman options out there. A personal favorite is the Bovist Floor Cushion by the ever amazing Hella Jongerius:
Bovist Floor Cushion by Hella Jongerius for Vitra
Box Storage Unit by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec (yes, I found a way to fit R&E into this post!) for Vitra:
Box Storage Unit by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra
Box Storage Unit by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra
The Capelli Stool by Carol Catalano for Herman Miller:
Capelli Stool by Carol Catalano for Herman Miller
Capelli Stool by Carol Catalano for Herman Miller
Or Philippe Starck’s adorable Gnomes Table/Stool which circle us right back to sweet as soon as you gaze into those sparkly gnome eyes and rosy cheeks.
Gnome Tables/Stools by Philippe Starck for Kartell
Gnome Tables/Stools by Philippe Starck for Kartell, gold finish
These little characters also serve a double, well triple, function: he is a table surface, a stool (foot or sitting), and chock a block full of personality. Gnome or cupcake, a bit of frivolity in a room just can’t be all wrong.
Read Designboom’s aricle on Matteo Bianchi’s Muffin Pouffe, here.
Visit gabrielross.com to view the Bovist cusion, Box Storage Unit, Capelli Stool, and/or Gnome Table/Stools, here.
Esquire Magazine’s “The Big Black Book, Spring/Summer 2011″ issue” boasts itself as “The Style Manual for Successful Men”. Reading this, I was immediately reminded of the recent lighting and home design collaboration between Foscarini and Diesel fashion label, coined “Successful Living” (read our blog post on this collection, here). It seems that success is highly dependent on style – or so the fashion and design houses would suggest. In our business of some of the most iconic, stylish furniture and home accessories in the history of modern design… who are we to argue?
Esquire Magazine Cover - Spring/Summer 2011 Issue
The magazine issue’s index, after 9 pages of glossy dapper men sporting Gucci watches, Ascot Chang suits, and Hermes blousons lists “The Portfolios – How to put yourself together for wherever life takes you.” Under Portfolio No. 2: “The Anti-Suit”, is a one page article on selecting a stylish man chair. Titled “Take a Seat – Eight iconic chairs that help you sit with style”, this article is reminiscent of a gabrielross.com product page. I was pleased as punch to see that we offer every single one of the 8 chairs that Esquire features.
Esquire Magazine Article, from "The Big Black Book 2011 Spring/Summer Issue
Showroom Client: “Oh, I didn’t know you had sofas because you are always talking about lighting and accessories in your newsletters and such”
Myself: “No, no, we have LOTS of sofas. We carry LOTS of sofas”
Above = inspiration for this blog post.
Light Sofa by Joquer
Meet “Light”. This is the latest addition to our showroom from the Spanish modern upholstery design house, Joquer. See?! We have sofas. We have many others also (including a new incredible eco-friendly design built by our local workshop in Victoria – but that is news to come) … this post is dedicated to Light.
This sofa’s name is a good fit – it is small scale, clean lines, skinny arms, and an airy base that makes it appear to float a few inches off the ground. Even the back of this piece is “light” in structure and visual footprint
Light Sofa by Joquer
It is not often that the back of a sofa is nice looking, let alone interesting or unique in any way. This is the exception. I love the way the designer reveals the angle of the back support by carving out the frame around the base. This makes this piece perfect for open concept spaces where the sofa might define the living room from dining room. It would also be perfect for small spaces where the seating has to “float” somewhere away from the wall to allow a walkway behind or beside.
Light Sofa by Joquer
Joquer began in Gava, Spain in 1983 with a modest staff of only 6 people. The company has since grown significantly and now has a showroom in Barcelona and a large production facility in Gaudix, Grenada. Light is just one example of this manufacturer’s vast selection of upholstered furniture including several sofas, chairs and beds – all available in a variety of fabric and leather options.
Side view - Light sofa by Joquer
Light Sofa by Joquer
Although we do not have this vendor’s products on our website, we have the entire line available for sale through our showroom or via our online sales department. I encourage you to visit their website, here to see all products Joquer has to offer. You can also access it directly from our site, here.
Questions about this line, or other sofas we might have to offer? contact us here or drop us a line at 1-866-207-1111.
We received an exciting delivery a couple of weeks ago from our upholstery shop containing a new Tommy sofa bed for the showroom. Upholstered in a bright spring green and accented by cute square cushions, this piece has been getting lots of attention since it’s arrival.
Tommy Sofa Bed by Gabriel Ross
The mattress inside this sofa is 100% natural latex, so there are no creaky metal springs. The mechanism is Italian made and operates unlike any other pull out sofa. There is a handle hidden between the two back cushions and when you pull it towards you, the entire back swings out in one easy motion. The back cushions are permanently attached and safely store themselves underneath the bed, up off the floor.
The best part? This sofa bed is comfortable to sleep on. Yes, I’m serious. It’s actually comfortable. For Real. Come see for yourself! We encourage our clients to bring a book and spend some time on this mattress in the showroom. We’ll even dim the lights if you nod off …
Sofa Compact by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller - photo: hermanmiller.com
Designed in1954, the Sofa Compact was an adaptation from a built in sofa that Charles and Ray Eames designed for their own home in the 1940′s. The freestanding version has been in production since 1954 without interruption. Although the original intent for this piece was probably to have it work for smaller constricted spaces, this sofa is beautiful in any modern interior with an aim for spaciousness and clean lines.
photo: hermanmiller.com
photo: hermanmiller.com
Herman Miller offers a large array of upholstery options for the Sofa Compact that vary from tight/smooth commercial weaves to lush felted wools such as Kvadrat’s Divina Melange. Depending on your fabric choice, this sofa works well in various spaces including commercial settings and office waiting rooms, to cozy apartment living rooms. Parking lots too …
photo: hermanmiller.com
photo: hermanmiller.com
View the Sofa Compact on our website, here.
Read more about the design story on Herman Miller’s website, here.
Our last post was highlighting a vintage Arne Jacobsen Series 7 Chair that our shop reupholstered. Today, I came across this video on the Huffington Post about the making of the classic 1955 chair. The video is a beautifully choreographed black and white film depicting all the steps (human and mechanical) involved in the making of the Series 7. Recorded along side a tranquil acoustic guitar soundtrack, it’s an engaging view for both it’s content and cinematography. Check it out here:
View and purchase the Series 7 chair on our website, here.
Visit Fritz Hansen’s website, here.
View the article on the Huffington Post, here.
For those who don’t already know it, Gabriel Ross is also a furniture manufacturer. AND … not only do we locally hand make beautiful sofas, chairs, and occasional tables, we also occasionally re-upholster some vintage pieces. We are *very* talented.
Recently, we reupholstered an Arne Jacobsen Series 7 office chair and this is the result:
This chair was reupholstered in “Divina Melange” fabric by Danish textile company, Kvadrat. Our people carefully molded the fabric to the curvature of this organic design and hand stitched the back panel.
This chair is certainly a piece worth re-investing in and we’re proud to have had a part in preserving such an iconic piece of design history.
Herman Miller’s new office chair, SAYL by Yves Behar, has finally arrived at Gabriel Ross. We receivied our stock last week and the chair exceeded our expectations in comfort and appearance. Although we have only received stock of the Basic black version for now, there is more stock on the way soon in the Fully Loaded and Executive models.
Click here to read our original post on the SAYL chair. The Basic model that we now have in stock retails for only $448.00 – a significant triumph for Herman Miller and Behar’s hopes to create a well designed and fully functioning office chair that is accessible to a wider audience. Click here to purchase yours now.
SAYL’s webbed back is part of the “unframed” design – providing full flexibility and movement for the user. “Less is more” seems to be the mantra for this chair – it’s extremely comfortable AND feels supportive at the same time.
The curved top edge further emphasizes that whimsy that Verner Panton is known and loved for.
