Trinidad Armchair

When designing the Trinidad Chair in 1993, Nanna Ditzel found inspiration in the elaborate fretwork from the Gingerbread Facades that she had seen in the colonial architecture while travelling through Trinidad. Much like the facades, the cut-out fretwork of the chair triggers an interplay of light and shadows, creating a pattern projected into space and a subtle sense of motion.

With the Trinidad Chair, instead of eliminating any ornamentation, which was part of the Modernist mantra, Ditzel did the opposite. She kept the ornamentation as the focal point in a distinctive chair that challenged the prevailing design dogma at the time.

The cut-outs featured in the curved shell not only function as a decorative element, they also dramatically lighten the visual density of the chair. A process involving the most advanced CNC technology at the time and techniques normally impossible in plywood shell furniture. In fact, when the chair was first introduced, it was heralded as a breakthrough in design technology.

What’s more, the lightweight design allows for hours of seating comfort, able to suit any setting as well the person who sits in it. The fretwork ensures that the body is always ventilated and the chair is always kept at room temperature. At the same time, it provides excellent acoustics where sound resonance should be reduced. Consequently, the Trinidad Chair has become a popular choice for concert halls and auditoriums, as well as private homes.

Given its graphic fretwork and almost transparent presence, the Trinidad Chair was an immediate success when it was first introduced and was a key driver during the renewal of Danish design in the 90’s. It also introduced a new chapter in our own history, where a contemporary design became a defining attribute of Fredericia's design DNA.

While the Trinidad Chair represents a Post-Modernism milestone in the history of plywood chairs, it has a captivating appeal that continues to resonate with contemporary design enthusiasts around the world.