We took a few minutes to sit down with Christina Brown, the winner of our “Show Us Your Stylex Spaces” contest. She shares plans for her new upholstered Zephyr chair and more on her work at Eastlake Studios and the Cara Program project.
Q: Describe your “Stylex Space” at the Cara Program. What are its functions?
A: The Cara Program is a secular not-for-profit social service agency which seeks to support individuals affected by homelessness and poverty in a rigorous program of personal transformation through training, job placement and critical support services.
The space with all the Rhythm chairs is called the Great Room, which is considered sacred space to the students and staff. This room is used for Cara’s morning motivation exercises in which students share deep personal stories and sing with religious zeal, reaching out of their comfort zone in a public, but safe setting. The architecture responds with dynamic, but simple gestures to support what amounts to daily theater-in-the-round. At the end of the day, this space is truly about crafting a house of hope.
Q: What design problem were you looking to solve by using Stylex chairs?
A: The light scale chairs are easy to reconfigure and add personality to the space.
Q: What attracted you to the Rhythm chair for this project?
A: The Rhythm chair has both strong styling and good value.
Q: When did you first encounter Stylex Seating? Do you use any other Stylex products in any other spaces?
A: Our Chicago rep, Ruder Group, first introduced us to the product. We have been a Stylex specifier for quite some time now and even worked on the renovation of their Merchandise Mart showroom in 2010.
Q: We heard you’re the lucky winner of a new Stylex upholstered Zephyr chair – any special plans on where it will go?
A: We specified the chair with a white frame and green Maharam upholstery. It will be a great addition to a collection of contrasting dining room chairs!
Stylex is kicking off 2013 in award-winning style with the Brooks chair garnering a 2012 GOOD DESIGN™ Award. Created in 1950 by Eero Saarinen, Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., and Charles and Ray Eames, the GOOD DESIGN™ Awards are annually organized by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design with the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies. The awards focus on innovation, quality, and beauty across all consumer design. Previous Stylex recipients of the GOOD DESIGN™ Award include SAVA, Avo, Luna, and Zephyr.
The Brooks stacking chair combines modern design elements with practical thinking about multi-use applications. Brooks is available in a variety of options: with or without arms; fully upholstered; plastic seat/back; wood seat/back; upholstered seat/plastic back; and upholstered seat/wood back. There are no visible fasteners, creating a graceful, clean construction. Brooks is GREENGUARD Certified.
The popular Zephyr chair by Sava Cvek won NeoCon Gold in 2000. Twelve years later, we are celebrating this company classic with the launch of a new, second generation solution that maintains Cvek’s signature, contoured design and engineered performance while adding a different take on the seat. The new upholstery option makes Zephyr even more adaptable for environments where people want extreme comfort and stackability. Available in arm and armless models that stack 9 to a dolly as well as non-stacking counter and bar height stools. Zephyr has been specified in demanding commercial projects across the country and continues to be an industry favorite.
Two lucky winners took home SAVA chairs with our first Facebook contest this year, and we thought we’d keep the fun going this fall with a Zephyr chair giveaway. To enter the contest, post images of your best projects and spaces featuring any Stylex chair on our Facebook wall by December 31st for a chance to take home an ultra comfortable new upholstered Zephyr chair, and don’t forget to “Like” Stylex to complete your entry.