The design process for the Hennepin Chair started with looking at the Crate Furniture pieces that Gerrit Rietveld did in the late 1930’s. The simplicity of reusing wood crate planks to create comfortable and functional chairs fits well with Loll’s recycled sheet material and our company ethos. We sought a way to support a simple slatted seat and back in a unique way that would bring a classic design language together with Loll’s current vocabulary. The heavy frame we designed works exceptionally well with our joinery system and it creates a solid foundation that can also support a love seat and sofa seating option without additional unsightly framing. The result conveys a classic piece of furniture that is both recognizable yet new and interesting. The Hennepin name comes from the legacy of Louis Hennepin, a 17th century explorer who visited Minnesota in 1680 and who left by canoe via our home town of Duluth and the Great Lakes. The name Hennepin has been used as a landmark name in Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, and New York (coincidentally both Hennepin and Reitveld were Dutch) and ties together a nostalgic past seated in the present.
