Kojak

Kojak. Designed by Jonathan Woolley. Manufactured by Allermuir.

So before we’d narrowed our focus into the world of lighting, chairs were popping up everywhere, flaunting their Missoni Fabric-laden midriffs (Gossip Girl Here, Meet the Eames Lounger), and their slim-profiled and finely-sheened oaken torsos (Schema by Isu). So why not continue where we left off?

So here’s Kojak by Jonathan Woolley for Allermuir, a svelte and lithe little number that does quadruple duty in office, gallery/museum, restaurant/café, and home. The most intriguing feature of this piece—beyond its name, which, for those of you who may not remember 1973, evokes the bald-headed, tough-talking, but golden-hearted detective of the tv series (and, which, I can only assume, is an ironic reference)—is what I like to think of as a certain “cyborgesqueness.” Allermuir elaborates: “The simple tubular steel legs appear to ‘morph’ out of the main PU body, which maintains the fluid language of the design, which has few parts and few hidden fixings.” Thus, we have the seamless incorporation of two distinctly different elements such that they appear to be one thing, just as in Arnold’s Terminator, or even Rutger Hauer’s Roy Baty in Blade Runner. Sure, we’re not talking about the melding of human flesh with high-tech titanium animatronics, but even so, the detail provides an interesting edition to the dialogue about inter-relatedness of materials (see Gossip Girl Here, Meet the Eames Loungerand Schema by Isu—wink and nod). While most design products either hide such transitions or emphasize the junction, Kojak is one of few to create a veritable synthesis of contrasting materials.

But the virtues of the piece don’t end there. As Allermuir informs us, Kojak “incorporates all of the structural framework within the moulded polyurethane body of the chair, with apertures in the hidden framework that allow the PU to ‘give’ and flex in predetermined places in the seat and back, to facilitate an excellent level of comfort.” So who can blame them for hiding some functional elements while advertising others? Whether your point of reference is Robocop or Lee Major’s Six Million Dollar Man, it’s clearly an aesthetic choice in tune with the future.

Kojak is available in three styles (armchair, side chair, and high stool) and four colors (black, red, dark grey, and green). The legs of all pieces are matte regal silver and the footrest of the high stool is polished chrome.

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