Featured Ear Chairs

Hi all,

Sharing a pair of 'Ear Chairs' we picked up and had recovered. They were designed by Studio Makkink & Bey (Rianne Makkink & Jürgen Bey). Conceived as sculptural acoustic seating, these chairs embody the radical experimentation of early 21st-century Dutch design.

Each chair forms a commanding architectural presence, its exaggerated winged “ears” enclosing the sitter in a cocoon of calm. Independently tested, the EarChair reduces ambient sound by approximately 13dB, creating an intimate environment — a “room within a room.”

In the pair's original lease of life, the chairs found their home in the historic Midland Hotel, Morecambe, UK. The Midland is a celebrated Art Deco masterpiece by Oliver Hill (pictured), hosting Coco Chanel, Noël Coward and Laurence Olivier, and has featured in Agatha Christie’s Poirot and The Entertainer. Its restoration by Urban Splash was an architectural landmark, with these chairs forming part of its carefully curated interiors.

Pieces by Studio Makkink & Bey are held in the permanent collections of the Centre Pompidou (Paris), the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (London).

I must admit that while these chairs are not my personal cup of tea, they are undeniably brilliant as statements pieces. I like to think that we have had some incredibly quirky, loud pieces over the years, but none that have generated the same level of amazement, discussion and giggles as this pair.

With warmest regards,
Adam.

 

Not my design choice either. The building now...

 

I'm sure they are getting a lot of attention. Wow. Thanks for sharing!

 

Something I have not seen! Fabulous job with upholstery and choice of fabric.

 

Ditto Brad on that-impeccable choice of material & craftsmanship.Love the ambience of your shop (looked at yr earlier pics). Can't recall, are you in the UK,and can you tell Us all how you came by these singular chairs ?

 

I love the lines ! Im all about quirky and unusual.

 

Yes, I am in the UK's Yorkshire Dales. I think most people will be familiar with Manchester in the North of England. Manchester sits in the county 'Lancashire' and Yorkshire is the neighbouring county, to Lancashire's right. The Dales represents a beautiful stretch of countryside, with my part of the Dales flowing into the Lake District.

As with most things, the chairs were stumbled upon by chance, during a return journey from the Lake District, which is directly above Morecambe and the Midland Hotel.

 

*It wasn't until after I posted the above mural from inside the Midland hotel that I noticed the ear chairs in the drawing!