Ben Whistler

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Decorex show, eight top designers were asked to create an original chair with Ben Whistler for the feature display at the September 2007 show in Chelsea. The chairs were auctioned for charity at Bonhams “Vision 21” and the proceeds were donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital and St Elizabeth’s Centre for Epilepsy.

The Designers were asked to design a chair that was either inspirational, provocative, whimsical or just plain old fun.

Nicky Haslam

Nouvelle Vague Chair: “I was inspired by the French designer Emilio Thierry.” Materials: The outside arms of the chair are finished with a blue steel tack line. The seat cushion has a pure down filling. Upholstered in the reverse side of Ben Whistler Palermo Ivory Suede. 90cm h x 62cm d x 56cm w

Kit Kemp

Susan’s Chair: “A good chair should be able to transcend the generations.” Materials: Deep buttoned, and tufting with Petersham trim. Close-nailed seat border in ebony woodstain. Finished in Ben Whistler Cortina Gold. 98cm h x 55cm d x 55cm w

Candy & Candy

Meeting Room Chair: “In keeping with the design we are using for the new headquarters in Westminster. we used a linear theme which will tie the building’s interior together.” Materials: Fixed seat, with Pirelli webbing, in a custom-cut wood frame, finished in Ben Whistler Bezier Black. 65cm h x 50cm d x 60cm w

Mary Fox Linton

Brazil Chair: “A chair that exudes leisurely comfort with strong historical reference modernised to suit a stylish contemporary home or restaurant.” Materials: A show wood hoop stained Madagascar mid-brown. Upholstered in Ben Whistler Oslo Taupe. 90cm h x 62cm d x 56cm w

Argent Design

Ladies Smoking Chair: “Inspired by the furniture of Andre Arbus, we wanted to create a chair that was feminine and elegant.” Materials: Skirt is made from Austrian crystal, Demerara brown stain on the arms. Leather is Marseille Blanc from the Ben Whistler range. 95cm h x 69cm d x 65cm w

Paolo Moschino

Olympia Chair: “I wanted to design a stylish but practical dining chair which would work well in both a contemporary and traditional setting.” Materials: A fixed seat, with a full-length skirt in Italian Chocolate nubuck. 95cm h x 55cm d x 45cm w

Christopher Dezille

The Dax Chair: “Looking for inspiration I turned to furniture designers such as Ross Lovegrove, Jeffrey Bernett and Antonio Citterio. Materials: Wing back seat on a brushed steel structure. Upholstered in Ben Whistler Lyon Black. 110cm h x 83cm d x 71cm w

Carden Cunietti

The Gimlet Chair: “This is a modification of a chair Audrey designed for her house. We elongated the seat and raked the back for more comfort.” Materials: The chair uses hand-tied coils, with a show-wood base featuring a gloss woodstain. Upholstered in Ben Whistler Sofia Soft Yellow. 85cm h x 95cm d x 95cm w