Fetish

Alphonse Mattia Furniture: Art & Design, Westport, Mass., United States

This is a batch production upholstered chair designed and produced one or two at a time. It was meant to evoke a certain playful quality of obsession or fetish while still being able to fit in a variety of interior environments.

There was no initial client at the beginning of the project. Mattia designs and builds more often on speculation, investigating design ideas or concepts about functionality whether that be real or implied. Some of his work is more about function or, as in this case, primarily to be used as seating.

As is often the case, when Mattia designs something he will make it in a batch. This chair is one of 13, a baker’s dozen. These chairs were shipped to various locations in the U.S. and one pair as far as London. Three chairs are left.

This chair has been popular with Mattia’s clients. It gets attention wherever it is shown and, at a fairly steep price, Fetish sells slowly but consistently. An ottoman is being designed for the remaining chairs, as well as for any of the previously sold ones. After this, a new chair will be designed.

As a teacher, Mattia sees the landscape evolving as young minds apply themselves to the design arts and believes handmade, small production and even one-of-a-kind furniture and decorative arts objects will always have a significant place in our culture.