Wieland Unimold Wedge Form Lounge Chair

About the Item

Fantastic sculptural 1970's wedge-form lounge chair on triangular walnut plinth base by Wieland Furniture Company of Bay City, Michigan constructed with their patented Unimold molded plywood internal frame. Frequently misattributed to Adrian Pearsall. This sits a bit low for my abs but is very comfortable for lounging. Original upholstery reminiscent of Gaetano Pesce's UP chair. Very clean overall. Wieland Furniture Co., a furniture design and manufacturing business led by four brothers, was once located in the Great Lakes Bay Region and made significant contributions to furniture technology despite its modest size. In the 1960s, Wieland Furniture employed about 60 workers in its 45,000 square foot plant in Bay City, Michigan and had developed an innovative process that reduced costs and significantly reduced waste. The patented process was called Unimold, a method of making upholstered furniture with a molded plywood back and seat shell. This particular construction method eliminated 60-75% of the parts used when Wieland first began making upholstered frames. The Unimold form-the heart of chairs and sofas that were manufactured at Wieland-was a 96 in.-long plywood shell molded to shape in a high frequency press. From this shell, Wieland trimmed different lengths to provide frames for sofas, sectionals, or chairs. The proof of Wieland’s success was evidenced in the amount of sales since the Unimold first was introduced. Five years after introduction, sales skyrocketed over the million dollar mark with inquires for Unimold licensing for companies as far apart as Wales, Australia and Puerto Rico. Daryle Wieland once explained that, “only two separate components are necessary to make Unimold furniture- the basic shell and ’S’ shaped molded plywood piece, which becomes the front and back rail when cut in two. Plywood molding in long lengths is difficult, because it is hard to get the high frequency waves out to the ends of the mold equally.” The construction method is unbelievably strong because of the strength of curved plywood. In fact, Wieland could build 100 inch sofas and still only use two back legs because of its functional, trademark curve at the bottom of the sofa back which every Unimold piece has.

Similar to:

Adrian Pearsall (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 24.5 in (62.23 cm)Width: 40 in (101.6 cm)Depth: 39 in (99.06 cm)Seat Height: 12.5 in (31.75 cm)

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Plywood,Upholstery,Molded

Place of Origin:

United States

Period:

1970-1979