The Architect's Newspaper
HAVE A SEAT! THE BEYLERIAN COLLECTION OF SMALL CHAIRS - June 28 to October 28
June 2007
There’s something about chairs that has always been a magnet for designers, and when you shrink them down to miniature size, they practically become the objects of fetish. Just ask George Beylerian. For the past 30-some years, he’s been a merchant and manufacturer of chairs, and in his spare time, he’s collected untold numbers of doll-sized ones, of which more than 350 are displayed in this exhibition. Some are manufacturers’ models; others are pieces of art created by designer/architect Ron Arad, jewelry maker Robert Ebendorf, and others. At 9 inches high and 15 inches long, a mini patio chaise lounge (above) is on the big-and-clunky side—the exhibition’s items range from 12 inches high to a mere 1⁄2 inch. The chairs might be small in size, but not in ingenuity. One is constructed of twigs; another is made of silverware. Even gum wrappers, scrub brushes, and ticket stubs have found a second life in these designs. So hold onto your museum ticket: You might have the ingredient for Beylerian’s next tiny treasure.