< nr. 48 >

Cherner Chair

Year: 1957

Together with the Lounge Chair by Charles and Ray Eames, the Cherner Chair is the face of the style referred to as Mid-century modern. Paul Goldman, owner of Plycraft worked together with Norman Cherner on the chair. Eventually, the two gentlemen became involved in an argument and are fighting each other over the rights to the design.

The original goal of the design was to make a chair for not too much money. The first version, without armrests, does meet this criterion. The version in the photo, with armrests, was produced until the early 1960s due to the high cost of production.

The Pretzel Chair by George Nelson and Herman Miller also plays a roll in this story. Nelson went to Plycraft for the production of the chair, but it became apparent that it was too difficult, too fragile to produce. A few months later, Paul Goldman, the head of Plycraft, presented a chair that looked very similar to the Cherner Chair. Cherner successfully sued Paul Goldman, who claimed that the European creator of his design had never heard of Cherner, and was awarded compensation for the chairs sold by Goldman.

Since the argument between Goldman and Cherner, it is unclear who really was responsible for the design. What is clear is that Cherner’s sons own the license at present. The Cherner Chair Company offers different versions, with and without armrests, in beech, ebony and walnut.

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