GUBI’s reintroduction of Rainer Daumiller’s sturdily sculptural pine armchair brought a masterpiece of 1970s Danish design back into the spotlight. By expanding the range to include a version of the chair in brown/black-stained pine, GUBI has reinterpreted the chair’s familiar form, transforming it from grounded to graphic.
The armchair’s solid and straightforward material expression reflects the designer’s lifelong connection to nature. Heavyweight in looks but surprisingly light, the chair was primarily designed for robustness and functionality – Daumiller wanted a strong everyday chair that could withstand the rigors of children’s play as well as use at the grown-ups’ dining table. The resulting design – crafted in golden pine – made its debut in 1977, but, like all classics, transcended its era to become truly timeless.
While the golden pine edition has a farmhouse rusticity to it, the addition of a brown/black finish creates an urbane aesthetic, without losing the honest materiality of the original. The brown/black stain applied to the pine largely mutes the surface pattern while emphasizing the formal silhouette of the chair, resulting in a stronger, graphical expression. If the golden pine version evokes the earthiness of the 1970s, the darker edition is more evocative of the 1980s in its clean-lined boldness.
“The addition of a darker finish completely transforms the Daumiller Armchair, giving it a new and radically different look while retaining the natural material expression that lends the design so much of its iconic character. The Daumiller Armchair in brown/black-stained pine enables what was already a hugely versatile piece of furniture to enhance an even wider variety of interior styles, making a bold graphic statement wherever it is placed.”
– Marie Kristine Schmidt, Chief Brand Officer, GUBI
GUBI’s edition of the armchair reflects the finely tuned craftsmanship and precision that Daumiller put into each of the chair’s component pieces. The sustainable softwood pine allows the seat and backrest to be carved to match the shape of the body. With every connection point in the design exposed, and the generous comfort of the chair dependent on its precise, hand-finished contours, attention to detail is essential.
At the same time, the chair’s characteristic materiality is retained, as the texture of the wood grain remains visible through the lacquer, ensuring the pine’s rich natural texture is still present in the chair and the whorls and knots that give the wood its character are not lost in the darkness of the finish. The Daumiller Armchair in brown/black-stained pine therefore represents a perfect balance between clarity of expression and the warmth of wood.
