TIMELESS DESIGN: THE KLISMOS CHAIR

Klismos Chairs, Villa Kerylos, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France, Photograph François Halard

Klismos chairs are always elegant, especially in the Villa Kerylos, an Ancient Greek Revival-style estate located in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France, built in the early 1900s for French archaeologist and scholar Theodore Reinach. With its distinctive splayed saber legs, curved back, and narrow concave crest rail, the klismos chair first appeared on Greek fifth-century BC painted vases and bas-reliefs. While no physical examples of the iconic design survive, the Romans who copied Greek art also left behind sculptures depicting the chair.

Red-figure Kylix, Athens, 450-400 BC, Musée du Louvre, 

Photograph Stéphane Maréchalle

Robsjohn Gibbings' lyrical mix of modern and classical Greco-Roman elements was perfect for the sparse elegance of the stately oasis. After entering the house via the atrium, the foyer led to the living room, dining room, and lounge. Robsjohn Gibbings selected a color palette of yellow, citrine, orange, and pink with gold lacquered furniture for the living room, grounding the space with a V'Soske carpet. Geometric carved walnut grilles pierced the light casting shadows on the white marble. Dottie called the home White Shadows.

T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Klismos chairs, UK / Greece, 1961, Photograph Wright

Klismos chairs entered the twentieth century with Villa Kerylos. Architect Emmanuel Pontremoli designed the estate that mixed elements of classical Greece, Rome, and Egypt. Gustave Louis Jaulmes and Adrien Karbowsky oversaw the interiors, and Parisian cabinetmaker Bettenfeld crafted the eloquent Greek-style furnishings, including klismos chairs. In 1960 British designer Terrence Harold Robsjohn-Gibbings created a line of furniture based on the klismos form. His design balanced ancient with modern, setting the tone for the klismos chairs of today.

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