Aaron R. Thomas X Sinje Ollen Monroe Chair For DesignLush

Looking for something clearly cozy? Über-mod interiors firm, DesignLush, commissioned two wildly hands-on artists for this exclusive one-of-a-kind chair. Master of acrylic and fine artist, Aaron R. Thomas’, handmade acrylic Monroe chair gets a cozy outfit with Sinje Ollen’s knitted upholstery.

First commissioned in 2004 by Craig Olsen for Bamboo Colony in Beverly Hills, the design concept behind the Monroe chair was, “A club-style chair—seamless, symmetrical lines, clean, but with beautiful curves and sitting low so it looked sophisticated and sexy. Very James Bond-like,” says Thomas of the now iconic chair. Hand crafted from one 10-foot sheet of clear acrylic, Thomas seamlessly hand bends the sheet, which is no easy feat. “Ensuring bends are consistent in one-inch-thick material is tough. You want to make sure they’re straight, the heat must be even and if you break it you have to start again. It’s a labor of love,” Thomas explains. Since its debut it’s been commissioned in every imaginable variation from mink upholstery (which showed at last year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair for DesignLush) to distressed leather and then there’s the Secret Garden version, which featured handmade acrylic flowers under the seat and spray painted Street Art-style.

This particular version called on designer knitter, Sinje Ollen, to weave her magic on the Monroe. “Growing up in Germany I came from a generation where craft was normal,” Ollen says of her childhood hobby-turned-artistic niche. The model knitter used to create sample sweaters for yarn stores in Germany before moving to New York. It wasn’t until she had children and upon returning to work (on Wall Street) that she realized, “My job was not my job, all my colleagues had been fired and I wanted to be with my children,” Ollen explains. After upholstering an Arne Jacobsen Swan Chair for a friend and a slew of other commissions that found their way into movies Ollen decided she found her calling.

The one-of-a-kind exclusive Aaron R. Thomas X Sinje Ollen Monroe chair for DesignLush features felted (pre-washed) wool imported from England in mossy colors to complement the interior’s firm fall collection, $12,500.00

designlush.com, sales inquiries email info@designlush.com.