Reviving Tradition: Stoel Burrowes' 'A' Back Windsor Chair

Combining Traditional Craftsmanship with Modern Innovation

Stoel's inspiration for the 'A' Back Windsor came from the traditional Windsor Chair, a design that has been a staple in homes for centuries. The 'A' Back Windsor is a dining chair made from solid hardwood, using traditional joinery techniques and modern machinery to create a piece that is both visually complex and physically strong. The chair's design realigns the forces of compression and tension, resulting in a piece that is as comfortable as it is durable.

The 'A' Back Windsor is made using a variety of techniques. The crest is steam bent Ash, while the spindles and legs are a combination of lathe turning and spoke shaving. The seat is cut using CNC technology and hand-sanded for a smooth finish. The front leg passes through a 1" compound angled hole in the seat, providing a 'ledge' on which the seat rests. All joints are well fit and glued, with wedges used where the back spindles pass through the seat. The chair is then fine sanded and finished with milk paint or oil and wax.

The 'A' Back Windsor measures 710mm x 510mm x 950mm and is made from White Oak, Ash, and Poplar. There is no metal used in the construction of the chair. It is a mass-producible piece, with only six types of parts repeated to make 15 pieces per chair. The seat is carved using CNC technology in a traditional seat pan of the Windsor but in an oval form. The precision of the parts allows for the complexity of the design.

The chair is light and strong, suitable for dining, task, or occasional seating. The ambiguous play of form and structure in a traditional chair language makes this chair a modern design statement with strong utility and human factors. The design took 25 years of experience and research in woodcraft and furniture design and production. The initial prototype was produced in May 2010, with the first order delivered in July 2011. The design was created in North Carolina, USA.

The 'A' Back Windsor has been recognized for its innovative design, winning the Golden A' Furniture Design Award in 2012. This award is granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom. They are venerated products and bright ideas that advance art, science, design, and technology, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with their desirable characteristics.