I recently ordered a sample chair to show a client for one of our projects. The chair, seen here, is by Emeco, a local manufacturer, and was originally designed for the US Navy. This particular version is made from 111 recycled Coke bottles (see how “green” we are?). The Emeco “Navy Chair” was designed with the most utilitarian goals in mind. It is lightweight, made of aluminum (which resists corrosion from the ocean’s saltwater) and highly impact resistant.

Today, the original aluminum model has been adopted by the design community and been given official haute couture status. Looking at the chair it is easy to see how its simplistic, no-frills, yet elegant form was picked up by the design elite. Its softly curving corners and masculine form are eye-catching yet understated at the same time.

Seeing this chair sitting in our office and witnessing my coworkers salivating over the possibility of owning one (save up -- the original now retails for $440 each) made me think.

I wondered about other utilitarian objects that have gained similar status.

The first item that came to mind, although questionable, was the Hummer H2. Descendant of the Humvee, built for the US military in the 1980s, the Hummer was later modified for a civilian buyer and sold as a rugged luxury vehicle. Given the Hummer’s original intent (and decidedly UN-refined exterior), I shudder to think of how much money has been spent (not to mention how many gallons of gas burned) because someone saw this as a beautiful object.

I recently learned that Chinese Shar Pei puppies can sell for upwards of $1,400. I wonder how many owners are aware of the breed’s history, hunting wild pigs and herding farm animals for Chinese peasants. Still though, how can one put a price tag on something as cute as this?

On a more personal level, the interior designer on a project I am working on recently approached us to have a custom art wall made from bread bag grabs installed in our client’s kitchen. My first thought was “Really? Those things are garbage.” But meeting with the artist has given me faith that such an everyday “throwaway” item is going to make a stunning addition to this particular residence for some thankfully open-minded clients.

This “everyday object as art” concept is certainly nothing new. Everyone has seen
Andy Warhol’s Campbell's Soup cans. Even more controversial is Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain,” a readymade porcelain urinal turned on its side originally submitted to the 1917 Society of Independent Artists exhibition.

Duchamp's piece may have been one step too controversial to the artists society (who famously rejected it) but isn’t it interesting how quickly we all jump on board when a design professional tells us something is beautiful? While I’m not about to write a thesis on the factors that make objects aesthetically pleasing, I will say that it’s definitely worth giving a second look to all the things we use every day to find their inherent beauty.

2 Comments

That Dog is so nice! I wish I could own one and I'll surely cuddle him/her everyday because of their cute and lovely appearance. casino på nätet

That Dog is so nice! I wish I could own one and I'll surely cuddle him/her everyday because of their cute and lovely appearance.