Turtleback Chair, Designed by Christopher Campbell; Artisan, Brian Lazarus. Photo by Jim Dugan
Christopher Campbell, R.A.
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| North Haven overlooking Fox Island Thoroughfare, Designed by Christopher Campbell, | Turtleback Chair Prototype | Turtleback chairs |
Turtleback Chair Statement
I enjoy design work that is interactive and accommodating but not to the extent that it “disappears” from our consciousness (like the car cup holder that is exactly where we expect it to be and therefore allows us to use it without thinking) but rather, interactive and accommodating to the extent that it becomes an engaging and charming part of our day – the design becomes, in effect, another person in the room.
The design for the Turtleback Chair came out of a simple problem that we all solve in different ways: If you have eight for dinner seated at upright dining chairs, and you wish to retire to more relaxed seating after dinner, does this really mean that you have to have sixteen chairs in your house? I figured that there ought to be a fun, theatrical way to make one chair turn into another. Rather than, for instance, simply pushing a button to get to a different position, I wanted something with more presence and character.
This design went very quickly to model; once the basic idea was settled a number of small scale models were made. I actively borrowed bits from Adirondack chairs, rocking chairs, and small boat construction. Full scale mockups were developed based on the models and extensively refined. Rocker action, arm height, seat location, and seatback angle were all fine-tuned as the project moved forward.
The chair is a balloon structure comprised almost completely of curves, all of which had to be fabricated, trimmed, fit, and finished prior to assembly. We built at least four prototypes, each time tweaking aspects of the construction and design. Full scale computer drawings helped with the fabrication of the bending forms and with the trimming of the components; the geometry of the curving elements appears quite simple but due to the compounding action of the curves is actually quite complex. If architecture is often a question of inches, these chairs are about tiny, tiny fractions.
Christopher Campbell, R.A.
Christopher Campbell, R.A.
Christopher Campbell Architect
Christopher Campbell is an architect and a designer living in Portland, Maine. He has had his buildings published in The Boston Globe, Down East Magazine, and a number of architecture books. He has been a guest critic at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Fine Arts, and at the Boston Architecture Center. Christopher began his career working mostly in the corporate sector in New Haven, Connecticut and later in Boston, Massachusetts, and currently focuses on residential architecture here in Maine. Christopher holds a Master in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.
Brian Lazarus
Opus One Furniture
Opus One Furniture is comprised of three highly skilled craftsmen working out of Falmouth Me. They specialize in challenging projects such as the Turtleback Chair. Opus One was established in 1985 by Brian Lazarus. They do work for a wide variety of clients including large institutions such as MIT and Harvard, as well as private individuals. Curved laminations have become a staple of their resume. The shop is a laid-back operation where you will frequently find sandals and shorts as the dress code. They are currently blessed with an unlisted phone number, no sign and a healthy backlog.