INDUSTRIAL DESIGN ICON CHARLES POLLOCK CREATES NEW CHAIR

By Harold Abrams · 1 Comment

Bernhardt Design – innovators in furniture design and production — launched the new CP Lounge Collection by famed designer Charles Pollock at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York. Charles Pollock designed the iconic Pollock Chair in 1965 — one of the most successful office chairs in history and a symbol of the modern workplace.

CHARLES POLLOCK, JERRY HELLING and THE CP LOUNGE

The 82 year-old Pollock had not designed a product for an American company in over 47 years and the commission of the CP Lounge Collection was a surprising and welcome opportunity for Bernhardt Design. ”I’ve always been fascinated by Charles Pollock. He created such a significant product, yet very little has ever been published about him. Given our fascination with mid-century American designers, this lack of information seemed remarkable to me,” says Jerry Helling, President of Bernhardt Design. ”When I started my search to find Charles, I simply wanted to meet him and hear his story. I didn’t dream at the time that he would be willing and excited to design a new product after all these years.”

Pollock — who attended the School of Art and Design at New York’s Pratt Institute — took a different approach from his usual design process with the CP Lounge. ”At Pratt we were taught to sketch, model and build, and that has always been my discovery process,” states Pollock. “Sixty years later with this chair, I did my first production drawing and Bernhardt made the prototype.”

Read: The debut of Pavilion of Art and Design in New York

Even though Pollock used a different design process, the inspiration for the chair – an unbroken line in space – was very familiar. “Designing using a continuous line leads you in one direction: toward simplicity,” maintains Pollock. “Your eyes follow the line around the perimeter of the chair and it appears to be floating in space; it is so simple.”

Related: USM Modular Furniture

There are two versions of the CP Lounge. CP.1 features individual hand-quilted panels of felt, suede or leather used to upholster the seat and back with large loop stitching around the perimeter of the chair. The CP.2 is simple and sleek and can be selected with any Bernhardt fabric or with the customer’s own material. Both versions rest on polished stainless steel frames.