ChairClub: SA Chairs Win 4 Major International Design Awards

ChairClub, a proudly South African business with black woman ownership, has achieved global recognition for four of its office chairs at the prestigious GOOD DESIGN® awards, the world’s most recognised and oldest design awards program.

The awards are held annually by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design in cooperation with the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies. They cover new consumer products manufactured in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America.

The winning chairs are the Hive, the Charly, The Ally and the Shift.

All are economically created to offer outstanding and attractive design at affordable prices. ChairClub collaborated with multi-award-winning and world-renowned German designer Stephen Brodbeck to make the chairs functionally and aesthetically appealing.

All are fully recyclable.

Said Travers Hathrill, MD ChairClub Managing Director: “We are so proud to have won these awards. It shows that South Africa can produce at the highest global standards and can compete with the very best. Good, practical design should be for everyone and it doesn’t need to cost the earth.”

The winning chairs are all 90% locally made thereby creating jobs by supporting local workers, suppliers and enterprise. ChairClub is a BEE level 2 company and places a focus on skills development at all its factories.

“They are a hit in offices across South Africa and Africa too,” said Hathrill. “Why would you import a European chair at perhaps more than double the price and wait 10 weeks when you can get the best of design delivered within a few days at local prices?”

ChairClub plans to build on its success by expanding its chair range this year. The company is also currently designing its own mechanism for its chairs, which is likely to prove another first for local design.

Other well-known companies which also won GOOD DESIGN® awards included Ferrari, Electrolux, Google, Fitbit and Coca-Cola.

More about these chairs:

Ally

Ally is a versatile tasking chair that’s designed to blend into every office aesthetic. Ally mixes comfort and design and is particularly hard-working.

Shift

The shift chair is light, cost-effective, easy to adjust for ergonomic comfort and has a small footprint meaning it can be used just about anywhere.

Charly

Charly is designed for multi-modal learning. It has a customisable, swing-over work surface (for laptops). High mobility supports continually switching groups and teaching modes. It has built-in storage under the seat for personal gear.

HIVE

Shift is designed for solo work or just you and your colleague. It has a large comfy seat, multi-adjustable table, reading lamp, power outlets and lockable storage. HIVE is not just a desk but a personal retreat amidst the office buzz.

For more visit ChairClub.