Sacco 1968, designed by :Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro [1] A b is a large fabric bag, filled with polystyrene beads (Sacco chair), [2] dried beans, or a similar substance. [3] The product is an example of an ‘anatomic chair’. [1] The shape of the object is set by the user. Although designed to be a chair, due to its amorphous nature it is often confused with tuffets and ottomans. b, [1] the first artifact of that kind, was introduced in 1968 by three Italian designers: Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro. [1] The object was created in the Italian Modernism movement. [4] Being a post war era phenomenon, Italian modernism’s design was highly inspired with new available technology. Post war technology allowed an increase in the processes of production, by introducing new materials such as polystyrene. The idea of mass-produced goods made within an inexpensive price range appealed to consumers. It therefore created the need for a revolution in the creative and manufacturing process.

‘The designer was an integral member of a process that included marketing as well as engineering’ (Raizman 284). [4] The inspiration left by Corradino D’Ascano’s Vespa design for the Piaggio Corporation in 1946, added value to the essence of the designer. With successful designs, brands could sell more products, and therefore the identity of the designer played an important advertising role. [4] Another important figure of the Italian modernism period was Gio Ponti. Inspired by modernism's art movements, Ponti created new forms of objects. His asymmetrically balanced designs freed the Italian objects form their classic representations. The designer promoted Italian designs on famous exhibitions called ‘Milan Triennale’ : “These exhibitions, organized as early as the 1920s … were responsible for increasing the visibility of Italian design in an international setting ” (Raizman 285). [4] After becoming an editor of the Domus (magazine) in 1947, Ponti contributed to not only Italian design of that time, but also : “the human and creative element in modern industrial design as well as its practical, economic and social benefits.”

Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro, inspired by their designer predecessors, came up in 1968 with the design of Sacco the ‘shapeless chair’. Although it was not the first design of an amorphous chair in Italian history, Sacco was the first successful product created in partnership with Zanotta. buy black windsor chairThe predecessor of the product called “Blow” had a major design flaw of not being able to sustain its form and therefore never reached production. dining chairs online sydneySacco picked up that flaw and with the use of leather for exterior and right placed stitching. table chair rental fort lauderdaleIt is worth mentioning that the use of leather was not coincidental as at that time the textile was an Italian national pride product. chair covers hire liverpool

[4] The target user of the chair was the lax, hippie community and their non-conformist household. "In an era characterized by the hippie culture, apartment sharing and student demonstrations, the thirty-something designers created a nonpoltrona (non-chair) and thus launched an attack on good bourgeois taste." chair mat for hardwood floor ikea Actor-network theory [5] analysis of Saccovintage eames office chair for sale As mentioned before, Italian modernism redefined some classic design models into new, more functional products. used rattan table and chairsSacco’s design was aimed at mass-media consumption. chairs for sale in bristol

Its light weight and flexible nature allowed easy shipping. The bean bag chair consisted of a leather exterior that at the same time was a vessel for polystyrene beds. The idea of the design was for the product to shape around the user. Therefore, following the ANT method, the user of the bean bag artifact became the integral part of the objects’ agency. leather egg chair for saleIn comparison, a classic ‘chair’ design, can still act as a chair without the user’s input. The network of such an object functions around the designer, producer, manufacturer and user, but for its agency (acting) does not need the user. Sacco on the other hand, cannot fully function as a chair without the user, as the user gives it the final shape. Thanks to its flexibility the object can act as a stool, futon or a pillow. Since it was not the aim of its design this would be considered an anti-program use of the object.

Other designers have followed the ‘shapeless’ chair design, creating a range of inspired products that take after Sacco. [6] Amongst many, the most successful contemporary model would be Jukka Setala’s Fatboy. The product launched in 2002 brought the Finnish designer global recognition. The new form of the bean bag chair has less stitching and a more geometrical take in the means of shape. It has also a EPS filling which is more durable than PVC. ^ a b c d e ^ a b c d e fYou’ve probably sat in bean bag chairs at some point in your life but have you ever wondered how they came about? Who invented them and when they became popular? Ultimate Sack looks back at the history of the bean bag chair. The predecessor of the bean bag chair, the Sea Urchin Chair was designed by Roger Dean while he was still in the Royal College of Art in 1965. It was one of the first chairs which adapted completely to the user. It was a foam chair, which, though appearing spherical would conform to the sitter.

The bean bag chair we are familiar with today first came into existence in 1969. Italian designers Gatti, Paolini, and Teodora were working for Zanotta Design in Italy and were trying to create the right type of chair to market to the flower power generation. They needed a chair that was stylish, practical, and fit with the ’60s lifestyle. The designers came up with the Sacco or the Socco as it became known overseas. The original Sacco’s were pear shaped leather bags. They were filled with thermocol pellets and eventually those were replaced with shredded polyurethane foam, urethane foam, polystyrene beads, Styrofoam or PVC pellets. This new chair became a very popular item because the Sacco was the first chair to adjust to the person sitting in it. Although unconfirmed, there is a rumor that the Sacco was actually discovered by accident. This discovery came from a Styrofoam factory that put all the leftover pieces from the production line in a bag. This Sacco is very similar to the bean bag chairs you would find at department stores in the 1970’s.

However, unlike those, the Sacco used pure Styrofoam pellets, was made of high-quality leather, and has a headrest area. The Sacco became an instant hit was one of the most popular icons of the 1970’s. Because the Sacco placed the sitter close to the floor and conformed to a variety of lounging positions, it met the casual social lifestyle of the times. The 1970’s are when bean bag chairs made their way into department stores around the world making them available to the masses. The bean-bag chairs of that time were pretty much like the more high-quality bean bag chairs of today…that is, made of durable leather and filled with thick Styrofoam pellets. Consumers liked that the chair molded to each individual users body shape. Professional decorators liked the lightweight, portable nature of bean bag chairs. Therapists observed that the bean bag chair helped children with sensory-integration troubles. Additionally, doctors recommended bean bag chairs for patients who were recovering from back surgery.

During the ’90s, the bean bag chair went from being cheap furniture to something very casual that would meet a wide variety of needs. Bean bag chairs of different shapes and sizes made their way into the marketplace and bean bag furniture such as bean bag sofas, recliners, and more were developed. Also during the ’90s, bean bag chairs became more childproof. A number of children were injured and even suffocated to death after crawling inside the older style of bean bag chairs and inhaling the pellets. In March 1995, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 12,000,000 bean bag chairs and required all chairs sold after that date to have zippers that were childproof. The bean bag chairs that can be found today are usually made of washable fabric covers that don’t tear as easily as the leather ones and biodegradable Styrofoam pellets. In addition, some companies use urethane filler rather than Styrofoam since urethane can provide much more support and can be more reliable than Styrofoam.