STOCKHOLM 2015: FÄRG & BLANCHE’S FRANKIE CHAIR SPORTS CONTRASTING SUSPENDERS

A new design for Johanson that is inspired by Lindy Hop and swing-era fashion

Swedish/French design duo Frederick Färg and Emma Marga Blanche turned an interest in Lindy Hop and swing into the inspiration for a new chair. Designed for Swedish furniture brand Johanson, the Frankie chair is named for American dancer Frankie Manning, one of the founders of Lindy Hop, and gets its unique frame from the fashionably popular suspenders of the time.

The designers specifically chose to focus on the chair’s oft neglected back, investing in a strong visual identity. The frame’s Y-shape, which directly mimics the Y-back construction of suspenders, creates a graphic and striking contrast against the textile. Continuing from the back, a pair of subtler, parallel lines trace the chair’s front.

Frankie is available in hundreds of fabrics and almost 200 colors with different enamels that allow users to emphasize the suspender-like frame. It was presented for the first time at last week’s Stockholm Furniture Fair.