The coveted, limited-edition Nienkämper chair (far left) in situ. Courtesy Evan Dion
Some chairs look like sculptures, and some sculptures look like chairs. Then there is this chair (far left, above) by Klaus Nienkämper, which represents the bizarre, strangely beautiful potential of handcrafted functional objects. Klaus was one of the first people to introduce European furniture to the Toronto market, and he has had an incredible influence on contemporary design in this city.
We first saw this chair in Klaus’s showroom in the early ’90s and immediately coveted it. It spoke to us. The chair has this strange quirkiness, and its design certainly doesn’t follow any trends.