Vitra Miniature Campana Favela Arm Chair

The Favela arm chair is one of the most striking works by the Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana. According to a statement by the brothers, the architecture of the typical shanty towns in their native country was the inspiration for the design and name of this extraordinary item of seating furniture. Like the majority of hut-like dwellings, the favela is also nailed and glued together from oddments and waste materials. The Campanas made use of small, differently-sized strips of wood, as are produced in abundance in every joinery, for their representative chair. In the Favela, they prove that objects of singular elegance and beauty can even originate from apparent mundane, worthless materials. Over and above this, the Favela throws a new light on the dynamic relationship between a one-off design and a mass-produced product. Although every chair is made from the same material and to an identical construction plan, each finished article still retains its individuality in the detail.