The artful evolution of the ELE Armchair by Jaume Ramírez
Jaume Ramírez, a Barcelona-based designer renowned for crafting furniture, lamps, and accessories, brings a poetic sensibility to his creations, drawing inspiration from Peter Brook’s concept of blending the immediacy of reality with the grandeur of myth. This philosophy finds a compelling expression in the “ELE Armchair,” a piece that embodies both raw authenticity and an almost otherworldly presence.
The ELE Armchair’s journey began in an expansive, barn-like space filled with wooden planks and leftover fabric. For a month, Ramírez immersed himself in an open-ended exploration, allowing the materials to guide him without a fixed outcome in mind. This intuitive process yielded many discarded attempts—some materials rejected, some shapes deemed unsustainable, and even an iteration of the chair that was more sculpture than seat. Yet, these explorations were not in vain; they left traces in the form of unfinished prototypes and photographs that lingered with him for years.
Over the subsequent five years, the armchair evolved, shaped by reflection and iterative design. Even now, in its completed form, Ramírez views the ELE Armchair as a work perpetually in progress, a piece that invites interpretation and suggests the potential for further transformation. Its unfinished quality is not a flaw but a deliberate choice, a nod to the organic process that birthed it.
The ELE Armchair encapsulates the essence of Jaume Ramírez’s design ethos. It is a piece that resonates with the immediacy of its material origins while evoking a sense of timelessness. It challenges conventional expectations of furniture, inviting users to engage not just with its physical form but with the narrative of its creation.
All images courtesy of Jaume Ramírez, shared with permission
Jaume Ramírez: Website
