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01Decide on the size of the chair you want to construct. We made our chairs 6" tall, 3" wide and 3" deep. To make a chair this size start by cutting one 6" x 6" foam core square. We used Sharpie Markers to add a design to one side -
02and a different design to the other side. -
03Cut the square in half to create two 6" x 3" rectangles. One of these rectangles will become the back of the chair. Cut the other rectangle in half to create two 3" squares. Glue the two 3" squares together to form a right angle and secure with two straight pins. This piece will become the seat and the front of the chair. -
04Now add the back of the chair to the seat using glue and pins again. It is easiest to do this if you lay the chair on it's side. -
05A view from the back side. -
06Additional materials can now be added! Pipe cleaners, pipe cleaners with beaded patterns or feathers can be inserted into the foam core edges. -
07Here is a collection of Gabe Chairs! The chair on the left was made with repeat drawings. The next chair has a figure drawn directly onto it's surface. On the right is a chair covered in strips from magazines.
Students enjoy the Gabe Chair for its numerous design possibilities. With its basic construction, the Gabe Chair can remain simple and produced as a module which is repeated for a massing of shapes to form a larger sculpture. Patterns that are designed for the seat back, seat and front of the chair can vary and provide all kinds of interesting variations when combined. Students can enjoy expanding the shape of the chair to includes arm rests, foot rests, and even elaborate extensions of the seat back to suggest chairs with wings or elegant thrones. Check out the link on the right from our friends at Made By Joel for more exciting and simple ways to build small furniture.
