Description
The school chair from then in the colours of today
The school chair of the 60s. You might have sat on it because the S16 chair was installed in just about every school in the Netherlands. Do you remember it? The chair was strikingly good. Because of its minimalistic design and industrial appearance, the chair is extremely popular nowadays. The S16 from Galvanitas is without a doubt a classic and fits in perfectly with the current interior trends. The colour palette is nowadays adapted to contemporary interior styles. Where the S16 was originally only available in a standard black colour, De Machinekamer makes it possible to give this classic chair a modern touch by colouring the frame with a powder coat. The parts of these reissues of the S16 are made with the original moulds, making the chair exactly as it used to be. Simply said: the original chair but in the colours of today.
“Well-formed, sturdy, usable and inexpensive”
The S16 chair was designed and produced by Galvanitas in Oosterhout in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They opted for a design with the typical compass legs. Instead of the usual tubular construction, the designer decided to use a frame made of pressed sheet steel. A very solid and at the same time revolutionary design. The S16 was specifically intended for intensive use in public buildings, such as schools, institutions and canteens. Galvanitas is (still) known for its quality and reliability. Wim Rietveld, one of the pioneers in the field of industrial design in the Netherlands, described the pieces of furniture as functional: “well-formed, sturdy, usable and inexpensive”. The seat and backrest, produced in West Germany, are the model of German “gründlichkeit, “Top-quality”.
An indestructible chair made of pressed steel and armoured wood
The characteristic frame of the S16 chair is made of pressed sheet steel. This makes the chair strong, light and very user-friendly. The steel is powder-coated in an attractive palette of colours. The colours match those of the matching TD4 table. The seat and back of the S16 chair are made of armour wood, a very strong composite material of wood veneer and synthetic resin. A seat consists of about twenty layers of wood veneer. All layers are impregnated with a synthetic resin. They are placed on top of each other in a mould, with the grain alternating in different directions. After that, the whole is pressed into the mould under very high pressure. The synthetic resin forms a layer on the top veneer and gives a hard, matte gloss finish.
S16 with armrests
The chair where the teacher used to sit; the S16 with arm. For that extra bit of comfort, the S16 is also available with armrests. The armrests of armored wood have the same colors as the seat and backrest and are just as durable, making the chair last for years. The S16 with armrests and the “classic” S16 are of course excellent to combine with each other and guarantee an urban industrial touch to any interior.
The style icon of the upcoming industrial Dutch style
The S16 chair became a popular style icon of the emerging industrial Dutch style. It is still a much sought after and appreciated design classic, both in the Netherlands and abroad. With this chair, you get the perfect “urban industrial” appearance. The Galvanitas S16 is light, durable and user-friendly and therefore very suitable for intensive use, such as in a bar or restaurant. The chair is, however, certainly not out of place in a private interior. The S16 is a wonderful chair for an evening meal. We guarantee that everyone will sit for a long time because the seating comfort of this chair is surprisingly good! Dutch industrial design at its best.
