Esoteric Survey

Chair by Nathan Lerner (1913-1997) This is a full-scale foldout pattern for the DIY modernist handyman to complete at home. For those less adventurous modernists, the chair was also sold in kit form with pre-cut pieces that were sent disassembled in a box.Lerner was part of the New Bauhaus at the Chicago Institute of Design and was Laszlo Moholy-Nagy’s star pupil.




Upholstery instructions.
Source: Historical Design
Source: Historical Design
Source: Historical Design
Nathan Lerner  'LIGHT EXPERIMENT' photograph from 1937/1938 Annotated 'second semester' and 'Institute of Design Class Kepes-Smith' in pencil and with 'the new bauhaus chicago' stamp on the reverse, framed, 1937, printed in 1938Source: Sotheby's (The auction note has a great bio on Lerner)

Farnsworth
Skalar Modern
Weinberg Modern
It's good to see some old school Douglas Fir DIY modern on 1stdibs. The lack of the usual grasping for designer names through attributions is also refreshing.  Some things are just great no matter who made them. In the manner of honest design.

Jeff at Pierson 20th Century Modern in San Mateo shared this great piece of Klaus Grabe  ephemera with me when I was at his shop last weekend. 
This is the full scale furniture pattern that came in the mail. The rest is up to the customer.  The other option is the prefab unit.  The customer would get the disassembled chair in a box and just has to put it together.   


Don't forget the dowels! 



The prefab route would be the way to go. Cutting all that wood seems like a pain. Meet the designer... Klaus on one of his prefab chairs.
Image: Popular Science, 1949
Klaus with all his prefab fir plywood
Image: Life, 1949

The prefab lounge chair shown in this photo was $18.85
Image: Life, 1949
Image: Life, 1949
Image: Life, 1949