{"title":"K505 I-IV Assimilation","description":"\u003cp\u003e19th-century Central European chair of very high quality, transformed into French Revival. It became what it was expected to be, but the process left its marks.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"assimilation-revived","title":"Assimilation Revived","description":"\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe damaged upholstery was removed. During disassembly, it was discovered that the backrests were filled with cotton and a plant-fiber stuffing. The outer faux leather upholstery had been installed over an earlier leather layer, which was likely not original either, as it consisted of soft suede. Wooden boards added during the most recent repair and covering the seats were removed, along with the dust cover and cushions.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA new acrylic seat was designed using the geometric average of all four chairs in an attempt to guess the true form. To secure the seats, four new holes were drilled through non-original corner supports. The acrylic backrests were mounted without additional drilling.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe intervention preserves the original chairs while exposing their history of use and modification. Evidence of successive reupholsteries remains clearly visible, including cracked wood, jute webbing marked by springs, and wood perforated by tacks from successive reupholsteries\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"TheKarst","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52500879049016,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1002\/2086\/2776\/files\/DSC_6288retouched_83d7a510-d08d-4184-81db-a32adf0b85b2.jpg?v=1781417634"},{"product_id":"assimilation-acquired","title":"Assimilation Acquired","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal;\"\u003eAcquired from Howard in Palos Verdes, in November 2025. He had bought the chairs years before from antique dealer and used them in his home.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal;\"\u003eInlaid wood design. Sleek figure and elegant thin elements. Upright and relatively small. They were reupholstered several times through their lifetime – marks\/holes from tacks. Backrest upholstery (faux leather with plastic band) was failing. There was no upholstery on the seats because the wood failed from so many reupholsteries. The opening was covered with wooden board and a simple cushion was laid over.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal;\"\u003eThey were hand over in red textile covers which shows they were taken well for and appreciated. The frames were sound, the wood preserved. Yet the upholstery was too damaged to restore.\u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"TheKarst","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52503037903160,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1002\/2086\/2776\/files\/DSC_4443retouched_be246020-95c9-4214-acfd-85b00e1e162e.jpg?v=1781576751"},{"product_id":"assimilation-research","title":"Assimilation Research","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal;\"\u003eBased on the surviving construction details, proportions, and decorative inlay work, the chairs likely originate from Central Europe and date to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Originally, they appear to have been lightly upholstered dining chairs. Their slender proportions, refined carving, decorative inlay work, and delicate construction suggest furniture of very high quality. Hand-crafted details, dimensional irregularities, and evidence of manual assembly remain visible throughout the structure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal;\"\u003eAt a later stage, the chairs were substantially transformed in an attempt to align them with a more fashionable French Revival aesthetic. The original seat construction was replaced with thick upholstery, jute webbing, and coil springs. Additional corner blocks were introduced to support the new loads imposed by the spring system.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal;\"\u003eThe transformation altered the appearance and function of the chairs and left lasting evidence throughout the original structure. Thin rails split and broke where jute webbing was attached with large upholstery tacks, still visible penetrating through the wood. Additional supports, fastening holes, repairs, and alterations record the demands imposed by the new upholstery system.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal;\"\u003eThe spring system was eventually removed, likely after it had deteriorated beyond practical use. Later owners covered the seat openings with wooden boards and added simple cushions above them. The chairs preserve evidence of several successive adaptations, each moving them further from their original form. Yet despite these interventions, the original structure, proportions, and character survived, revealing the quality of the furniture beneath the layers of alteration accumulated over time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"TheKarst","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52514049294648,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1002\/2086\/2776\/files\/Picture1.png?v=1781579540"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1002\/2086\/2776\/collections\/DSC_6297_-_1_20d2ea21-531b-41cb-8d32-030b0b7a430d.jpg?v=1781417817","url":"https:\/\/thekarst.com\/collections\/k505-i-iv-assimilation.oembed","provider":"TheKarst","version":"1.0","type":"link"}