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Product of the Week: The Classic BKF Chair

Product of the Week The Classic BKF Chair
The BKF chair, also known as the "Butterfly" chair, was born in 1938 in Buenos Aires where the Austral Group, comprised of the three architects Antonio Bonet Castellana, Juan Kurchan, and Jorge Ferrari Hardoy, developed the idea of an iron framed chair with a leather hanging as support. This was inspired by the wooden framed Tripolina chair (below, top right image), which was modernized for the home from campaign chairs used by British military troops in the late 1800's.



Once developed, the chair was presented in the First Hall of Decorative Artists of Buenos Aires and won first prize. It was then discovered by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which requested three BKF chairs to be showcased. One is currently in the MoMA, a second in Frank Lloyd Wright’s house, Fallingwater, and the third one has gone missing.





Since then, the BKF chair has become the
best known Argentine design product worldwide and is quite popular in the U.S. There's even a table variation of it, which can be seen above in the lower right corner. Mostly knock-offs of the iconic design and often collapsible, we see BFK chairs today in dorms and small apartments. While many knock-offs are available, ours is the classic, manufactured in Argentina by our authorized vendor. The BKF chair comes in either a chrome or black matte frame finish with a heavy duty vaquetta leather or hair on hide seat. Fabric seat covers are also available. Check out our collection here on our website along with our Tripolina chair and BFK "Butterfly" table, and let your home be a part of design history with this mid-century modern classic!

Cheers,
Frank Campanale

Remodeling and Home Design