Philippe Starck “Ed Archer” Dining Chair for Driade, 1986, Black Leather, Set of 8
Description
Philippe Starck “Ed Archer” dining chairs for Driade, black leather and aluminum, Italy, 1986, Set of 8
Philippe Starck designed this model for Driade in 1986. The structure is a tubular steel shell entirely wrapped in leather, forming the seat, backrest and front legs in a single continuous surface. The single rear leg is cast polished aluminum, tapering to a sharp point — the defining formal gesture of the design and the clearest expression of its postmodern provocation.
Among the most recognizable chairs of the 1980s, the “Ed Archer” encapsulates Starck’s ability to charge a functional object with theatrical tension. The asymmetry of the single rear leg — structural yet almost absurd — places the design firmly within the postmodern conversation of its decade, in dialogue with the work of Ettore Sottsass, Andrea Branzi, and the broader questioning of modernist orthodoxy that defined Italian design culture at the time.
Aleph was Driade’s experimental design label, launched in the 1980s to produce more radical, author-driven pieces — the imprint under which Starck’s most iconic furniture of the decade was released. The set includes examples with and without the leather lace finish at the base.
Dimensions
Height: 38.98 in (99 cm)
Width: 18.31 in (46.5 cm)
Depth: 23.23 in (59 cm)
Seat Height: 18.51 in (47 cm)
Design
1986
Manufacture
1980-1989
Material
Leather and aluminium
Location
Lonigo, IT
Condition
Our in-house atelier carefully restored the item, with meticulous attention to structural integrity, materials, and finish. The process was guided by deep respect for its authenticity, balancing technical intervention with historical sensitivity.