Council Drake

The Drake chair is an entirely fresh and unique take on seating which takes the geometry of the basic cantilevered stacking chair and reverses it to create a bold, yet approachable chair. A solitary loop of steel with a subtly curved seat is powder coated as a single piece, creating an exaggerated stance that is elegantly poised, stable and comfortable.

The absence of seams, multitude of colors and ability to be stacked makes it suitable for outdoor applications. At the same time, soft matte finishes and upholstered versions add a layer of refinement for indoor seating options. Drake is visually stirring, imminently accessible to anyone and can be incorporated into an extensive range of habitats and situations.

The success of the design lies in its ability to take the functionality of industrial processes and materials and impart them with a gesture and expression that relates the chairs to the people who will be cohabitating with the pieces. The chair makes a first impression with its stance, approachability and comfort, but it is further distinguished by being eminently manufacturable. The Drake represents an evolution towards distinctive designs that are oriented towards production.

The design for Drake started off with a simple line drawing—a recurring gesture in the minds of the designers. The silhouette, despite its playful nature, suggests both stability and lightness. But this idea only started to blossom when the sketch was translated into a series of small wire models. While bending legs, seats and backrests, the designers became increasingly fascinated by the tremendous impact these subtle changes had on the overall character. Chairs take on a human-like personality and the slightest changes made colossal differences.

Drake – in its final form – is the result of a free flowing quest for proportion, line weight and tension in which the object drove the process. This is what is called design “hitchhiking”: rather than starting with a big idea, it is begun with a seedling that allows creativity and intuition to foster a path and generate momentum along the way. The end result is a chair that is both bold and approachable at the same time.