David Rowland was a revolutionary industrial designer and inventor. His elegant, perfectly engineered 40/4 chair is one of the most significant and masterful designs of the 20th century.
Designer David Rowland studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the school that helped train Charles and Ray Eames, Florence Knoll, Harry Bertoia and Eero Saarinen. Early in his career, Rowland worked under Lazlo Moholy-Nagy as well as Norman Bel Geddes.
In the process of taking the 40/4 beyond the prototype stage, the road was paved with all sorts of stumbling blocks. Due to his passion and relentless determination, Rowland made his vision a reality in 1964 with its initial launch and has remained in production ever since. Over eight million 40/4 chairs have been sold to date, proof that you need a brilliant idea to create a timeless design. But you also need to believe in it, to produce it.
