The Solo Cello Chair is a unique hanging chair designed by Montreal-based designer Félix Guyon of Les Ateliers Guyon. Félix Guyon stands out as a result of his artistic approach to design. Promoting a polished aesthetic, contrasting eras, styles and materials, he seeks to create pieces that are unique as opposed to industrial. The chair is the first of an upcoming collection that will most likely include a reading chair, a dining chair, a coffee table and light fixtures.
Image © Félix Guyon
The inspiration for the Solo Cello chair came initially from a jewelry showcase, with the frame of the chair being based on a pair of earrings that was on display as part of the show. The name of the chair was given while making a film about its construction. It comes from the song Cello Suite No.1 by Johann Sebastian Bach used in the movie. With its delicate shapes and elegant styling, this chair naturally evokes the beauty of a cello and the accompanying melodies that it yields.
[vimeo 78178057 w=700&h=393]
The chair has been, for any designer throughout the ages, just as challenging stylistically as it is structurally. We often don’t realize the work that goes into the creation of the object. For me, the ultimate challenge in this domain is the suspended chair. It must be both delicate and ultra- robust, as it floats in the air. In addition, the chair is suspended in a monumental way that leads to more artistic expression, simply given the space it requires.
– Félix Guyon
Image © Félix Guyon
For Félix Guyon’s, overseeing a project is much like a conductor directing the musicians in his orchestra. He relates creation to an intricate ballet between form, materials, manufacturing techniques, and structural and cost challenges. All this must be carefully considered and validated with each pencil stroke in the design process, before adding a touch of wonder and poetry.
Image © Félix Guyon
I can spend days and nights working to achieve this balance. In these moments, my brain is at full throttle and my weeks go by like hours! I navigate the technical and economic constraints, using only my artistic instincts as a compass.
– Félix Guyon
Image © Félix Guyon
Following his studies in France, after working in architecture in London and having accumulated many years of experience in design in Montreal at “The Firm”, Félix Guyon decided to return to his small hometown of Vercheres. He hopes to find tranquility and inspiration through the people who live there and who, like him, love their village.
Image © Félix Guyon
I have long sought to find the essence of myself, and gone far in my travels to find that essence, but I did not realize it was here, under my nose, in my own little village. The river, seasons, and people – Everything makes so much more sense now! My grandfather was a cabinetmaker and manufactured “Vercheres boats” in the 1940s. My father and mother still carve Plexiglas. From generation to generation, we have always had a love of working with our hands, making something from scratch. Now that it’s my turn to be the artisan in the family, I hope to instil the same values in my nearly year-old son; the willingness to work hard, create something you love, and have a real passion for a job well done!
– Félix Guyon
Image © Félix Guyon
Image © Félix Guyon
Image © Félix Guyon
Image © Félix Guyon
Facts:
Official Project Name: Solo Cello Chair
Client: Les Ateliers Guyon and Groupe Germain
Designers: Les Ateliers Guyon
Project Leader: Félix Guyon
Contributors: Julien Guyon (video), XTM powder coating (metal), Maylissa François ( leather)
Budget: $4,950
Project end-date: September 4, 2013
Photographer: Félix Guyon
Production: Made entirely by hand in Quebec
*All images and information courtesy of v2com.
