To this day, the concept of a versatile piece of seating furniture developed by Gerd Lange in 1965 impresses with its timeless simplicity and ingenious design principle. The Farmer Chair consists of eight solid wood slats, four square legs, two metal clips and two fabric panels laid crosswise. Assembled and disassembled in a few minutes, it fulfils its owners' need for freedom, flexibility and closeness to nature. "At the time it was anti-bourgeois, today it is an evergreen," is how Lange characterises the design of his first piece of take-away furniture, which anyone can easily assemble themselves.
Manifesto for ground-breaking design
In the 1960s, it was mainly architects, painters and artists who opted for the Farmer. For COR owner Leo Lübke, it is a 'manifesto', a game changer for functional and ecological design. In the 21st century, it appeals to people who appreciate sustainably produced furniture and lasting values, also in the outdoor sector. It is light, yet stable and durable. Its design language is purist, even minimalist, and significant for the oeuvre of the now 90-year-old designer. Shared perceptions of good design and simple forms are the reason for the newly formed partnership with COR; the re-edition of the furniture series was created in a close dialogue. However, it was also personal experiences that led to this elective affinity, because Leo Lübke grew up with this furniture. It stood in his parents' garden and is still used by the family today.
A classic today, but ahead of its time back then
With his non-conformist design, Gerd Lange was perfectly in tune with a time that was looking for more mobility and less cosiness. The simple plug-in principle of the new take-away furniture was years ahead of Swedish furnishing ideas. "We wanted something rugged, something simple," Lange recalls, "along the lines of the American farmer in the wild." Originally produced by Bofinger, the series included chairs and tables as well as a bed and a wardrobe. To begin with, COR is including the chair and the side table in the collection. Despite the use of modern technologies, the furniture continues to be produced according to the initial design. Only the seat height was raised by two centimetres. Further optimisation approaches were tested and rejected. Leo Lübke explains how he and his development team became more and more humble. "We thought we could improve a few things and so we experimented for a while." But the Farmer Chair with its pluggable wooden construction and fabric covering found its ideal form half a century ago. In the meantime, it has become an icon that was style-defining in its reduction and has remained timeless.
Basics for life – indoors and outdoors
Sometimes, simply living is quite enough for a simple life. So it's nice to have basic home furnishings at hand, for example a comfortable easy chair that can be disassembled and reassembled in no time at all. It's made of natural materials, can cope with moving house, even if it's the first flat after a flat share, and it can take the odd scratch. And one day it may even tell stories about summer evenings spent outdoors, on patios or balconies. Farmer furniture accompanies every life phase in a practical and uncomplicated way. Compared to the increasingly lavish outdoor upholstered lounges, this simplicity is demonstrating its non-conformist potential once again.
Sustainably effective
Solid wood from controlled forests, treated only with oil, weatherproof fabric made of 50% of recycled polyacrylics manufactured in the COR factory in Rheda-Wiedenbrück – it would be hard to produce anything more sustainable. This makes the Farmer Chair a perfect fit for the modern digital age. It's quite possible that even Greta would take a seat with a clear conscience. But not everyone can make a public commitment to ecological balance. Those who simply want to own it, lounge on it or sit upright on it are nevertheless making their contribution: Living with this furniture is always a question of attitude.
Contact
Anna Thiessen, Corporate Communications
t +49.(0)52 42.41 02-235 a.thiessen@cor.de
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