make yourself comfortable 2015 headline exhibition at chatsworth

make yourself comfortable 2015 headline exhibition at chatsworth
all images © chatsworth house trust

‘make yourself comfortable’ at chatsworth showcases the devonshire family’s multi-generational tradition of acquiring, commissioning, and hosting work from leading artists and up-and-coming makers. a specially selected array of chairs and seating by international designers such as thomas heatherwick, marc newson, and moritz waldemeyer sit alongside student & alumni work from the UK’s sheffield hallam university—providing a geographical and historical link to the locale. 

‘spun chairs’ by thomas heatherwick

the exhibition also features two specially commissioned designs. raw edges presents ‘endgrain’ seating. situated in the sculpture gallery, clever use of vibrant hues pays homage to the sixth duke’s desire for a colorful gallery to house works, laid out in the original 19th century design. ‘counterpart’ by tom price is displayed in the chapel and consists of two blocks side-by-side. the two are diametrically and materially different; the dark block is made of coal, referring to mineral rights held by the devonshire family, and the other lighter block directly references crystals in the chatsworth mineral collection. 

seating for communicating: ‘over the rainbow’ by jung myung taek

student work from sheffield hallam university appears in the great dining room. the ‘victoria dining chair’ by robert hamilton is constructed from solid walnut, with silver touches, influenced by the house’s 17th century baroque collections. haley lightfoot’s ‘cavendish chair’ features a backrest representing the cavendish family motto of ‘safety through caution’. george heath created the ‘hart chair’, which harmonizes with the shapes and patterns of the expansive dining room. 

‘lathe v’ by sebastian brajkovic

also included are recent acquisitions and works including: ‘drift’ by amanda levete, the ‘kroller muller chairs’ by piet hein eek, and pieces by hallam uni. alumni daniel schofield and design duo richard bell and david powell of psalt design. all items featured have been carefully selected to reinterpret the space in which they are displayed or an object from the existing collection. on display from march 28 to october 23, chatsworth invites visitors to take a seat, and ‘make themselves comfortable’. 

‘fragment of a staircase’ by liliana ovalle

water block by tokujin yoshioka

‘endgrain’ by raw edges

‘counterpart’ by tom price

designboom has received this project through its ‘DIY submissions’ feature, which welcomes readers to submit their own work for publication. see more designboom readers submissions here.