Chaise Medaillon 3.0

Client:Dior Maison

Collaborator:Sherry Huang/Takahiro Fukino/Yuko Hata

When fashion house Dior set up its first boutique on 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris, 1946, it was characterized by simple and modern interiors but with classical features. Founder Christian Dior believed essential French aesthetics resided in the Palace of Versailles, and adored especially the oval-backed medallion chair said to have been used by Louis the 16th, featuring it frequently in boutiques and fashion shows. The chair became an icon of the maison, later appearing as a visual element for perfume bottles and advertisements.

Eighteen groups of creatives were invited to 2021 Milan design week to showcase new works inspired by the medallion chair. A decision was made to reinterpret this classical chair using state-of-the-art technology in continuation of the vision of our founding, “graceful fusion of modernity and tradition.” The glass is a single sheet of 1800 x 1100 mm, just 3.0 mm thick. While ordinary techniques only allow for bending as far as a U shape, a newly developed method enables a deeper, C-shaped curve. The curved glass sheet became the chair’s leg and back, and a separate glass sheet of 3.0mm thick formed into a dome was used as the seat. After shaping, the two pieces were immersed in potassium nitrate molten salt at 450℃ and then chemically hardened by cooling. The process consequently increases not only the hardness of the surface through ion exchange from sodium to potassium ions, but also the chair’s flexural strength and resistance to scratching. Last of all, the back and seat were bonded with a clear UV adhesive and silicone. The result is a comforting curvature and softness so unique as to raise doubts of its glass composition, despite its remarkable transparency. Alongside the fully transparent chairs, are frosted chairs, as well as ones in black and pink ombré that are evocative of the Dior brand, are produced. The oval cutout in the back of each one conveys the impression that the medallion chair’s most notable characteristic is floating delicately in midair.

1946 年，当时装品牌 Dior 在巴黎蒙田大道 30 号开设第一家精品店时，它的特点是简约现代的内饰，但又具有古典特色。创始人克里斯汀·迪奥 (Christian Dior) 认为凡尔赛宫蕴藏着法式美学的精髓，尤其钟爱据说路易 16 世曾使用过的椭圆形圆背奖章椅，它经常出现在精品店和时装秀中。椅子成为品牌的标志，后来作为香水瓶和广告的视觉元素出现。

18 组创意人士受邀参加 2021 米兰设计周，展示受奖章椅启发的新作品。决定使用最先进的技术重新诠释这把经典椅子，以延续我们创立的愿景，“现代与传统的优雅融合”。玻璃是单片 1800 x 1100 毫米，厚度仅为 3.0 毫米。虽然普通技术只允许弯曲到 U 形，但新开发的方法可以实现更深的 C 形曲线。弯曲的玻璃板成为椅子的腿和靠背，将一块 3.0 毫米厚的单独玻璃板制成圆顶用作座椅。成型后，将两片浸入450℃的硝酸钾熔盐中，然后冷却化学硬化。因此，该过程不仅通过从钠离子到钾离子的离子交换增加了表面的硬度，而且还增加了椅子的抗弯强度和耐刮擦性。最后，靠背和座椅用透明的紫外线粘合剂和硅胶粘合。结果是令人舒适的曲率和柔软度如此独特，尽管它具有非凡的透明度，但它的玻璃成分却令人怀疑。除了完全透明的椅子，还生产磨砂椅子，以及令人联想到迪奥品牌的黑色和粉红色渐变色椅子。每把椅子背面的椭圆形切口都传达出一种印象，即奖章椅最显着的特点是在半空中优雅地漂浮着。