Though time hasn’t been kind to this example of Mackintosh’s side chair for the Argyle Street Tea Room, the back still shows a high degree of work, including the cutout and pierced and curved stiles.

I was in Glasgow recently to take a look at the furniture of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. I began my tour at The Lighthouse, Mackintosh’s first public commission for the Glasgow Herald. The building has been reimagined as a gallery and museum, featuring a fine overview of Mackintosh’s work (and spectacular view of the city from its repurposed water tower. This example of Mackintosh’s design for a side chair for Catherine Cranston’s Argyle Street Tea Room shows its age in the cracked back, but age doesn’t diminish the distinction of the design. The cutout evoking a bird in flight shows an Art Nouveau influence, and the high back creates a strong impression of verticality while also fostering an air of intimacy around the table. Having sat at in one of these at the Tea Room, I can report the design is more attractive than comfortable.

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See the side chair in the Museum of Modern Art’s online collection.

Mackintosh designed this distinctive side chair for Catherine Cranston’s Argyle Street Tea Room