He 52

Some designs are self-explanatory, imperturbable even, because so perfectly at ease with themselves. Yet one has only to scan the history of design to see that they are also few and far between. The HE 52 chair is undoubtedly such a self-explanatory design, being useful wherever it is needed. “I’m a chair,” it says simply, a chair made of sturdy metal legs and a two-part seat and backrest, all of which wooden sections are exactly the same shape and size. And the plywood is weather-proof too, meaning that the HE 52 can be left out in the rain. The HE 52 was produced in 2007, so is definitely a product of today. Nor is there anything to indicate that it was actually designed back in 1952, when it was one of the first works to come off the drawing board of the young Hans Eichenberger. That it has nevertheless been revised in line with today’s requirements and possibilities naturally goes without saying.