David Rowland - Chair (8) - Howe 40/4 - Steel, Chrome, Fabric Square - Draft 1964
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18
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Current bid
€ 801
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Selected by Alexander Fahl
Art historian with over 10 years' experience and expertise in Italian design.
Estimate € 900 - € 1,000
 | €801 | |
|---|---|---|
 | €700 | |
 | €650 | |
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This set of eight blue Howe 40/4 armchairs, designed by David Rowland, was made in the USA in the 1990s and features a chrome-plated steel frame with Kvadrat fabric upholstery.
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Description from the seller
Great set of 8 Howe 40/4 stackable armchairs in high-quality dark blue Kvadrat fabric – David Rowland, USA, 1990s (designed in 1964)
As conference or dining room chairs.
Stacking trolley available on request.
The new price per chair in this configuration and fabric option is just under €900.
Additional chairs are available on request.
The 40/4 is one of the most significant chair designs of the 20th century and is still considered an icon of functional industrial design. With its exceptionally slender silhouette and ingeniously engineered tubular steel structure, David Rowland created a design that brought elegance, stability and functionality together in a way that had never been achieved before.
It is remarkable that David Rowland originally worked as an interior designer and was not one of the classic furniture designers of his time. Yet it was this very design that led him to create one of the most successful and influential chairs in design history—a piece of furniture still used worldwide in conference centers, universities, museums, libraries and public buildings.
The chair became famous for its revolutionary stackability—the original version could be stacked up to 40 high, reaching a height of just four feet (approx. 1.22 m). This technical innovation gave the model its name, 40/4, and set new standards in contract furniture. The armchair version offered here shares the same elegant design language and construction, but can be stacked up to 25 high because of its armrests.
The version offered here, with armrests, a chrome-plated steel frame and high-quality fabric upholstery, is one of the particularly comfortable and well-appointed variants in the series. Despite its delicate appearance, the chair offers great stability, excellent seating comfort and a timeless design that blends harmoniously into both modern and classic interiors.
A design classic whose form has been produced almost unchanged for more than six decades—a striking testament to the exceptional quality and timelessness of this design.
Designer: David Rowland
Manufacturer: Howe
Country: USA
Year: 1990s (designed in 1964)
Material: Chrome-plated steel, fabric (Kvadrat)
Width: 60.5 cm
Height: 77 cm
Seat height: 45.5 cm
Armrest height: 66 cm
Depth: 53 cm
As we trade in vintage furniture, signs of use are unavoidable and part of the nature of used items. We therefore only draw attention to more significant flaws and damage using separate photos. Nevertheless, we always do our best to document the condition of the items as accurately as possible.
The goods are subject to the differential taxation scheme under Section 25a of the German VAT Act (UStG); VAT will not be shown separately on the invoice
Seller's Story
Since we can remember we felt attracted to beauty and exceptional things. Aesthetic has always been more than something superficial for us. It was something magic going much deeper than the surface, creating positive feelings and energies.
Harmonies, sacred proportions, colors and materials combined with time, create their very special energies and are mostly things that hardly can be described but always can be felt.
To define beauty would be far to philosophical, but we think, if something touches you by the way it looks and gives you good energy at the same time, then it would define our personal definition of beauty.
And if beauty is something that has no other purpose than making you feel good just by the way it looks, then beauty is something we surely do not want to miss in our lives.
We thank existence for giving us all those unique materials and designs and all the talented designers and craftsmen for bringing their visions and abilities to life and sharing it, to bring us purpose combined with joy.
We are glad to have the platform Catawiki where we can share our passion for extraordinary and beautiful things with like-minded people.
Bülent Usta & Sarah-Larissa Kolmeder
Translated by Google TranslateGreat set of 8 Howe 40/4 stackable armchairs in high-quality dark blue Kvadrat fabric – David Rowland, USA, 1990s (designed in 1964)
As conference or dining room chairs.
Stacking trolley available on request.
The new price per chair in this configuration and fabric option is just under €900.
Additional chairs are available on request.
The 40/4 is one of the most significant chair designs of the 20th century and is still considered an icon of functional industrial design. With its exceptionally slender silhouette and ingeniously engineered tubular steel structure, David Rowland created a design that brought elegance, stability and functionality together in a way that had never been achieved before.
It is remarkable that David Rowland originally worked as an interior designer and was not one of the classic furniture designers of his time. Yet it was this very design that led him to create one of the most successful and influential chairs in design history—a piece of furniture still used worldwide in conference centers, universities, museums, libraries and public buildings.
The chair became famous for its revolutionary stackability—the original version could be stacked up to 40 high, reaching a height of just four feet (approx. 1.22 m). This technical innovation gave the model its name, 40/4, and set new standards in contract furniture. The armchair version offered here shares the same elegant design language and construction, but can be stacked up to 25 high because of its armrests.
The version offered here, with armrests, a chrome-plated steel frame and high-quality fabric upholstery, is one of the particularly comfortable and well-appointed variants in the series. Despite its delicate appearance, the chair offers great stability, excellent seating comfort and a timeless design that blends harmoniously into both modern and classic interiors.
A design classic whose form has been produced almost unchanged for more than six decades—a striking testament to the exceptional quality and timelessness of this design.
Designer: David Rowland
Manufacturer: Howe
Country: USA
Year: 1990s (designed in 1964)
Material: Chrome-plated steel, fabric (Kvadrat)
Width: 60.5 cm
Height: 77 cm
Seat height: 45.5 cm
Armrest height: 66 cm
Depth: 53 cm
As we trade in vintage furniture, signs of use are unavoidable and part of the nature of used items. We therefore only draw attention to more significant flaws and damage using separate photos. Nevertheless, we always do our best to document the condition of the items as accurately as possible.
The goods are subject to the differential taxation scheme under Section 25a of the German VAT Act (UStG); VAT will not be shown separately on the invoice
Seller's Story
Since we can remember we felt attracted to beauty and exceptional things. Aesthetic has always been more than something superficial for us. It was something magic going much deeper than the surface, creating positive feelings and energies.
Harmonies, sacred proportions, colors and materials combined with time, create their very special energies and are mostly things that hardly can be described but always can be felt.
To define beauty would be far to philosophical, but we think, if something touches you by the way it looks and gives you good energy at the same time, then it would define our personal definition of beauty.
And if beauty is something that has no other purpose than making you feel good just by the way it looks, then beauty is something we surely do not want to miss in our lives.
We thank existence for giving us all those unique materials and designs and all the talented designers and craftsmen for bringing their visions and abilities to life and sharing it, to bring us purpose combined with joy.
We are glad to have the platform Catawiki where we can share our passion for extraordinary and beautiful things with like-minded people.
Bülent Usta & Sarah-Larissa Kolmeder
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Era
1900-2000
Title additional information
Draft 1964
Number of objects
8
Country of origin
United States
Model
Howe 40/4
Designer/artist/maker
David Rowland
Material
Fabric Square, Chrome, Steel
Colour
Blue
Condition
Excellent condition: barely used with minimal signs of wear
Height
77 cm
Width
60.5 cm
Depth
53 cm
Estimated period
1990-2000
Seating height
45.5 cm
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