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Two GB lounge chairs side by side in a living room

GB Lounge chair by Gijs Bakker for Karakter

Dezeen Showroom: Danish brand Karakter has rereleased the GB Lounge chair – a relaxed, modular design by Dutch designer Gijs Bakker from 1972.

The GB Lounge was born when Bakker – inspired by a competition hosted by rubber foam manufacturer Dunlop – took a piece of foam, bent it at a 90-degree angle and fixed it in a metal frame.

Close up of the GB lounge chair with folded foam seat and back rest
Karakter has rereleased a 1972 seating design by Gijs Bakker

The resulting chair has a simple and casual look, designed to counter the more formal tastes of the previous generation. This earned it the nickname "the Levi's chair" after the effect that jeans had on the world of fashion.

As well as functioning on its own as an armchair, the GB Lounge can be paired with a pouf or attached to additional units with connectors to make a modular seating system.

White GB lounge chairs by Karakter combined into a sofa arrangement
It consists of a foam body set in a metal frame

For the rerelease, Karakter has updated the GB Lounge with the addition of feet that raise it slightly off the ground.

"I'm so happy that the GB Lounge has survived," Bakker said of his creation. "It's a simple design that leverages the effect of the chair's bending and curves to achieve minimal interference with maximum expression."

Product: GB Lounge
Designer: Gijs Bakker
Brand: Karakter

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More images

GB Lounge by Gijs Bakker for Karakter
Gijs Bakker designed the GB Lounge by folding a piece of foam at a 90-degree angle
GB Lounge by Gijs Bakker for Karakter
The chair heralded a more casual approach to furniture design
GB Lounge by Gijs Bakker for Karakter