Despite Lufthansa's best effort we made it back to Leipzig yesterday evening.
We only hope our luggage will arrive this evening.
And despite the joy at being back in our green oasis with our wonderful view over the romantic historical ruins of East Plagwitz, Milan remains very much in our thoughts and we will continue to intersperse the blog with news and updates.
As we never tire of telling anyone who will listen to us, furniture needn't be complicated. The design process can be complicated yes, but not the final product.
The 214 by Michael Thonet, for example, or the S 43 by Mart Stamm both being perfect examples of how simple a good chair can be. And indeed the Thonet stand in Milan perfectly demonstrated not only this maxim, but also how a company such as Thonet can remain innovative and contemporary without losing sight of their heritage. Stools such as the 404 series from Stefan Diez working wonderfully with the Michael Thonet classics such as the 209.
As an addition to the 404 range Thonet now offer it as a delightful, three-legged bar-chair. version; the saddle-shaped seat meaning that seating comfort is guaranteed even over a longer period.
Another German manufacturer who live by the motto that less is more -and certainly more comfortable - is Richard Lampert. The Egon Eiermann table frames, for example, being a fine example of what can be achieved with a few lengths of chrome - if you shape them correctly. On their stand in Milan Lampert reinforced this simple conecpt, and in a similar fashion to Thonet, also clearly demonstrated how easy good modern design can be mixed with design classics. Herbert Hirche studied at Bauhaus under Wassily Kandinsky and later worked for Egon Eiermann - and his classic 1950s Lounge Chair shows that he had not only paid attention but also reflected on what he had learnt.
In 2006 the German designer Eric Degenhardt slightly re-worked Hirche's design - a process that obviously left an impression on Degenhardt as can be seen in in his wonderful In-Out chair. Again based on the simple bent chrome concept, in-out may look supiciously like a cheap angler's chair, but is a wonderfully comfortable, relaxing armchair in which we could well imagine spending a summer evening in the garden or a winter afternoon in front of the telly. And, as the name suggests, one comes easily in and out - your smow(blog) team having tested it extensively.
