At the beginning of this year, we ended up in a lockdown - suddenly we were working from home. Colleagues temporarily took office chairs, screens and docking stations home, but I refused. Where to put that? An office chair in the living room? I'd rather sit at the dining table with my laptop.
I am a long-time admirer of Maarten van Severen, long before the old BK building burned down and the Julianalaan was crammed with his .04 chairs as the basis for all studio spaces, along with other Vitra furniture. When I discovered Van Severens U-Line lamp, with its beautifully sleek shape, that became my biggest obsession. It was never "necessary enough" to purchase it, but it is still saved as a search query on Marktplaats.
In September, I was struck down by lumbago; two full weeks of unbearable back pain. Heavily drugged and unable to do anything but lie on one side in bed. Was it related to a poorly equipped workplace? Could be.
I was (and am) not yet ready for an ergonomic office chair. Reluctantly I brought the .04 chair into the house on loan from BK where, sadly, there are hundreds unused in the studios. Now I'm temporarily working on it princely. And I look at it lovingly when I sit at the other end of the room on the sofa.
I still covet Van Severen's leather lounge chair that he designed for Pastoe in 2004, a year before his death. In my opinion, it is his most beautiful design. It is simple yet refined, and very inviting, but unfortunately too pricey for the budget of a family with a young child and thus lots of other priorities. The .04 chair seems the right place to sit at this moment. It will soon have to be returned to its rightful owner, so I started saving to add one permanently to my repertoire.
