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The Wave Hill Chair: Minimalist, Timeless—and You Can Make It Yourself!

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The Wave Hill Chair: Minimalist, Timeless—and You Can Make It Yourself!

July 18, 2019

Julie and Margot recently attended a benefit dinner at Wave Hill, a public garden and under-the-radar treasure in the Bronx. The next day, Julie didn’t report back about the beautiful plantings or the breathtaking views of the Hudson River; rather, ever the design geek, she waxed poetic about the garden chairs she saw there. (See her Intagram post about them here.)

Turns out, the Wave Hill chairs have been bewitching visitors for decades. They were designed in the 1960s by landscape designer Lester Collins, who based the chair on a 1918 design by architect Gerrit Rietveld; Collins later allowed Wave Hill to make his version of the chair for use in their public garden.

Good news for Julie and others who can’t stop thinking about them: Wave Hill sells DIY  plans for the chair.

The beauty of these chairs is that you can use cheap store-bought planks to build them and paint them in the color of your choosing. To purchase the plans, contact The Shop at Wave Hill at 7\18.549.3\200 x\249, or email chairinquiry@wavehill.org.
Above: The beauty of these chairs is that you can use cheap store-bought planks to build them and paint them in the color of your choosing. To purchase the plans, contact The Shop at Wave Hill at 718.549.3200 x249, or email [email protected].
Horticulturalist Dan Benarcik designed his own version after becoming obsessed with the chairs at Wave Hill. In addition to the chair, he also designed a coordinating stool (pictured), table, and bench, the plans for which are all available on his site. In addition, he sells the Garden Chair Kit, which comes with all the materials you need to build it yourself; \$\2\25.
Above: Horticulturalist Dan Benarcik designed his own version after becoming obsessed with the chairs at Wave Hill. In addition to the chair, he also designed a coordinating stool (pictured), table, and bench, the plans for which are all available on his site. In addition, he sells the Garden Chair Kit, which comes with all the materials you need to build it yourself; $225.
Above: Chairs constructed by Matthew Hughes from Wave Hill’s plans. The Vermont-based carpenter can build them using the wood and finish of your choosing (red cedar was chosen for the ones pictured); contact him at Hughescraft for more information.
While we like them painted or stained, we also enjoy the look of untreated versions that naturally age.
Above: While we like them painted or stained, we also enjoy the look of untreated versions that naturally age.

For more on garden chairs, see:

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