• Design

“Chair Man”

Illustrious industrial designer, Charles Pollock, has passed away at the age of 83 in Queens, NY. Born in Michigan, he studied design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and would later go on to work for George Nelson before embarking upon his own furniture studio. Distinguished by his mid-century interpretation of office furniture, the Pollock Executive Chair has remained a fixture since the 1960s, when many corporate offices were just beginning to embrace a more modern aesthetic in the workplace. Featuring an aluminum extrusion holding together a leather seat, the Chair was an instant sensation upon its release with Knoll and has more recently made some high profile appearances on Mad Men and in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I sit on the Pollock Executive Chair everyday in my studio and have learned the effects of its importance while studying furniture at Pratt. It’s a pleasure to be able to pay tribute to the man whom I’ve never met in person, but who’s legacy has influenced so many aspects of my life and career. Here’s to the designers that create the tools that make your life better. 

Image courtesy of Design Within Reach.