The word “versatile” gets bandied about quite a lot when writing of A&D. Not to disparage the conventional use of the term—which typically implies functionality and aesthetic appeal across a variety of venues—but the Dress Me Chair by Baita Design Studio for Grupo HeWi takes the term to the next level. Its versatility is macro- as well as micro-cosmic.
For those of you who may have forgotten all about the lessons of ECON 101, the above refers to Dress Me’s high utility both within and without. That is to say, the stackable cantilever chair is not only suited for a variety of settings, it can be made to suit your every aesthetic whim.
Dress Me’s silicone seat and backrest can be removed and replaced with another of Baita’s hi-relief patterns. This gives users the option of several completely different looks for the modest cost of one mere chair. It also gives both young and old the freedom to play a new brand of “dress up.”
Baita likens Dress Me’s changeability to swapping out clothes on dolls—a pastime neither I nor my three brothers ever engaged in—but that doesn’t discount the relevance to Dress Me: “You remember the jokes of changing clothes in our dolls?” says Baita, “It was very cool giving a new visual.”
Dress Me makes it even cooler to create a distinctly different look for this highly utilitarian and vibrant chair. And, in the spirit of the original Dress Up, little ones are encouraged to play along too as Dress Me offers a child size with all the same perks as the big kid version.
