This is the Fanfare Chair, produced by Chameleon Chair Collection. It was recently featured in Table 19 and it came to a shock to both my boss and I because it was the first time we had seen the chair being used on the big screen.
This is the story of what I have witnessed in my time at Chameleon Chair as a CAD Drafter, 3-D Modeler, and unofficial marketer of the company for 3 years. I will share the origin of the collection and what I think led to the chair being used in Table 19.
ABOUT THE DESIGNER
The designer of the Chameleon Chair is Behshad Shokouhi. Originally from Iran, he moved out after the revolution in order to pursue his dream of becoming an Architect with a focus on combating the issues with high density housing in the urban context. He received his Bachelors of Architecture in Tennessee and his Masters in Architecture from USC (University of California). Shortly after graduating, he opened Arcus Aetus, a small practice located in his very own home. At the age of 29 he was commissioned to remodel a multi-million dollar home in Beverly Hills, which catapulted his architectural practice in the greater Los Angeles region.
In the mid 80's he became unsatisfied with the types of clients he was dealing with, leading him to pursue his other interrelated dream; furniture.
ARKINETICS
Under the umbrella of his architectural practice, Behshad created Arkinetics, and all encompassing design practice which would introduce a variety of furniture pieces including chairs, tables, sofas, casegoods and related items. He believed that architecture and furniture could not live without each other and that an architects job was to understand both equally.
These are just some of the pieces. There were over 100 unique pieces created and sold in varying amounts before Chameleon Chair was birthed.
CHAMELEON CHAIR
After years of going to trade shows, making sales and getting the attention of the furniture industry, Behshad decided to partner with former accountant Jerry Smolar and fashion designer Teri Rudin. The vision was to create the most adaptable chair for both rental and sales, almost in direct competition to the Chiavari chair, which has been the top contender in the rental and event industry. The chair needed to be affordable, stackable and flexible with an ability to wear several dresses.
With steel as the material of choice, Behshad created the first sample around 1999. Armed with a removable cushion, and an arsenal of dresses designed by Teri Rudin, the chair began to take flight in the rental industry. Not only was the chair easier to handle than most rental chairs, but it had its own dolly system which ended up getting patented itself, along with the chair.
Over the years, other styles were created. Some were forever discarded, but the few that made it were refined for the 12 years to come before I entered the picture. 3 years ago, after graduating from USC in Architecture, I applied to work with Behshad for both his architectural and furniture endeavors. I arrived just in time to help him design and refine the wood back collection.
THE CHAMELEON CHAIR COLLECTION
As it stands, the collection follows a set of identical overall dimensions and back curvature, allowing for chair dresses to fit on any chair the same way. The cushion system is universal to every chair, as well as as the stacking and dolly system.
With the exception of the four wood chairs, all steel chairs have seen success over the years. Here are just a few of the events and settings the chairs have seen.
WHY TABLE 19?
I believe this chair is well suited for pretty much any event or location, given the right color and material combination. But the real attention has come from wedding planners.
The very nature of the chair appeals to the industry, which wants efficiency and the ability to change. Many of the chairs being used at weddings nowadays are very limited in terms of both of these aspects, which is not surprising. So, for many years now, the Chameleon Chair has been appearing at several venues across the country and wedding photographers have caught the action. The chair has been featured in tons of wedding magazines, in hundreds of different colors and finishes.
The ability to customize the chair in endless combinations is what attracts the eye, but the chair is also the most comfortable wedding chair most people have sat on. Additionally, I believe the wedding realm has grown tired of the same old chairs being used for a very long time.
I mean, who hasn't seen THIS chair in just about everything?
No offense to the Chiavari chair, but it doesn't even stack nicely, making it a pain to transport. Also, it is very limited in styles.
THE FANFARE CHAIR IS SIMPLY BETTER
Behshad truly created an efficient and beautiful chair, and we are not even done refining it. We are currently in the process of streamlining the chair even more, so that production will run smoother. Orders for thousands of these chairs are coming in, and I believe a lot of it has to do with its appearance in Table 19.
Here are some images from the movie.
We still don't know exactly how the chair made it to the film, but we were definitely glad to see it there. I think it worked great, and the film wasn't bad! I
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