Trinidad Stacking Chair

Design Nanna Ditzel, 1993
Molded plywood, metal frame, black glides
Made in Denmark by Fredericia

“On Trinidad I saw how the facades of the houses nearly dissolves in light and shadow – almost like a lace – and I thought to myself: How can I use this for a chair?” -Nanna Ditzel

With Trinidad, Nanna Ditzel turned the modernist mantra of material reduction against its original intent. The cutout fretwork from the curved shell back not only lightens the visual density of the chair, but it also functions as a decorative element. Utilizing new CNC technology, the Trinidad was heralded as a breakthrough when presented in 1993.

Designing the Trinidad, Nanna Ditzel found inspiration in the elaborate fretwork from the so-called Gingerbread Facades, that she had often seen whilst on a holiday in the Caribbean Island of Trinidad. Like a Gingerbread facade, the Trinidad Chair gently plays with the sunlight, creating a sense of motion in the space. The lightweight design embraces the body and is designed to suit not only the setting, but also the person that sits on it.

The screen-shaped shells ensure formidable seating comfort for hours, and the sliced through seat and back compensates for a range of features that are normally impossible in plywood shell furniture: The body is always ventilated and the chair is always kept at room temperature, as well as providing excellent acoustics for an area where sound resonance should be reduced. This has made Trinidad a popular chair for concert halls and auditoriums, as well as private homes.

Quite remarkably the Trinidad chair was an immediate success for both private and public use when launched in 1993, where it remains so today, and has achieved the status of a modern classic and post-modern milestone in the history of plywood chairs.

33.5″ h | 19.1″ w | 22.4″ d | seat: 17.9″ h | 8.8 lbs.