Star Power: The Pagan Chair

Two years have passed since KNSTRCT sat down with artists Lauren Larson and Christian Swafford of Material Lust over Le Pain Quotidien's meticulously crafted lattes in SOHO. Even then, it was evident that the depth of their shared artistry is synced perfectly - like a sixth sense that only they can tap into. Since our coffee that day, the New York based duo have gone on to create a series of limited-edition art pieces that double as furniture.

Their latest edition to the Material Lust family is the divinely-inspired Pagan Chair - a worship-worthy geometric steel chair rendition of the Pagan star. "The chair has received some visceral reactions. People either get really uncomfortable and quiet or immediately connect with it." Swafford explained of viewer’s initial reactions to the dark piece.

The primal geometric steel frame of the chair is powder coated in a matte black finish with a smoke Lucite seat. "We used a matte black Powder coated finish on the frame to give it a graphic quality. The Pentagram is a powerful 2-dimensional geometry so the matte finish helps flatten the piece out and accentuate the lines. The frame is so heavy visually we lightened it up with a smoke Lucite top. The transparency of the top pulls the eye back to the frame geometry." Larson noted.

The inherent talent of the two is ingrained in each of their DNA - Larson and Swafford’s Mothers were both painters and sculptors. "Painters love to use symbolism in their work," Larson remarked, "and we try to include that same power of symbolism in ours."

The design duo upholds an extremely high standard of craftsmanship and strives to manufacture all of their work in the US of A. "Our method for sustainability is to make high quality pieces that never make it to a landfill because people pass them on generation after generation either through family or auctions or donation" says Larson. The Pagan Chair is one garage sale find we’d love  our future self to stumble upon. I guess we’ll have to leave that up to divine intervention.

Photography Courtesy of Material Lust