Mini Furniture: ‘Next-Door Café’ Chair

Chairs have played a key role in the history of architecture as a crucible for developing forms and structures that reflect intentions for the spaces in which they are placed. The starting point for Bawa’s chairs were often other chairs (antiques or modern designs) in his own collection, but he would adapt them with changes from one version to ensure that they were unique and perfectly fit their ultimate use.

‘Next-Door Café’ Chair, 1960s (Painted timber and leather)
The Next-Door Café was a curious venture by Geoffrey Bawa and his partner at Edwards, Reid, and Begg, Dr. K. Poologasundram, where a secret door through the office led to a restaurant in an old colonial house. The café was infused with the sensibilities of Europe in the 1960s, and the lighting and furniture was designed in-house. While the political circumstances did not allow any imports, ideas were still moving freely—this chair, which is in fact a prototype of the chair that ended up in the café, perhaps shows the influence of the Roorkhee Chair, a popular British Campaign Chair that was adapted by Kaare Klint as the Safari Chair in 1933.

Dimensions: H-13mm , W-9mm , L-8.5mm (Without Box) / H-16.5mm , W-13.5mm , L-12mm (With Box)
Material: Plywood painted and Leather
Fabricator:  Hatch Maker Studio