Designer

Karim Rashid

Category

Furniture

Date
2009
Source

Well…I am not sure what to say about this piece. Here is the blurb from the Nienkämper site that may give us some clues.

Pyramid, Karim Rashid´s newest lounge chair for Nienkämper, borrows a monumental form from ancient Egypt and stands it on its head. What´s the point? According to Rashid, an inverted pyramid reflects who he is and symbolizes his hopes for the shape of things to come. He describes himself as “an upside-down multicultural being” – someone who is “Canadian-Irish-English-Algerian-Egyptian-American, with some Italian education thrown in the mix.” In short, he´s a product of an increasingly cosmopolitan world, and as such, he believes it´s time to “turn nationalism and jingoism around and become one global paradise.” By inverting a form associated with ancient history, Rashid has created a chair that belongs to a future of exciting possibilities.

 

Comments

CamperAugust 25, 2009
Brutal, how embarrassing for Neinkamper. With the talent that is in Canadian furniture design, Neinkamper should be booming. What a lost opportunity and what a shame, they are such a great company who keeps missing the mark.
FantaAugust 25, 2009
Let me get this straight, Rashid is an inverted pyramid now? Why would I want this in my house?
JustinAugust 25, 2009
Well…it’s not a blob… But it is pink… And Karim continues to be self-ejaculatory. As a physical item, it’s a little eye-catching. But looks like it might be a balancing act to sit in. Pass.
KarlAugust 26, 2009
I have said it before: celebrity designers seem unable to connect to relevant culture, choosing to ignore real life and keep reflecting themselves in their objects instead. Sadly, the design public doesn’t seem to care and asks for little more from our cultural shapers and manufacturers, both of which perpetually return to the well of dried up ideas. Given the state of global need and the massive ability for design to actually do something productive and encouraging, it is extremely sad to see more of the same hollow design dialogues appear ad nauseam.
JustinAugust 27, 2009
And then assume that the pink pad is a size large enough for my 210 pound frame…it really looks like what I would use as arm rests would have me in a sitting-crucifix looking position. Failure on every level…par for the Karim course. And yet…we’re talking about it. Ugh.
StephenAugust 27, 2009
Rashid once again focuses entirely on his own world – one that it seems not many others are interested in at all. This chair is boring, bland and undoubtedly uncomfortable – is it seriously in production by Neinkamper? His name is somewhat ridiculed throughout the design world due to his endless self obsession – there’s no need for him to bring the good name of Neinkamper down too!
MichaelSeptember 8, 2009
It looks like “Spirit House Chair (Umbra Edition)” The Libeskind original was hardly a comfortable seating experience but at least the minimalist stainless steel was pleasing to the eye.
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