Oh Canadiana - Solair Chair

On our way home last night, we rescued this abandoned 70’s era aquamarine Solair Chair.  The chair was designed by Fabiano and Panzini in 1970, manufactured by IPL in St-Damien Quebec, and was available for purchase through the Eaton’s catalogue in Canada.  We noticed when we got it home that the plastic is broken on one part of the seat so we’re trying to come up with DIY repair solution vs. buying a new seat.  I toyed with the idea of sewing a seat cushion from oilcloth, but the best option we have come up with so far is to weave nylon cord through the seat to create stability and give it an interesting detail.

“The Solair also provides the template for the fruitful domestic-foreign partnerships that recurred throughout the decade, and that de Winter’s MOMA piece epitomizes. It’s the first instance I can find of foreign designers being attracted to and producing work for Canadian manufacturers, and it’s an extremely inventive piece. The seat plastic pops out and the frame is readily stacked for storage and shipping purposes. The series has a sophisticated palette too, a combination of bright and muted colours that predates a lot of ’70s stuff.” - Highlights of the Canadian Design Resource by David Balzar
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