Konstantin Grcic's first design for Artek is a circular birch swivel chair
Milan 2014: industrial designer Konstantin Grcic has created a birch chair with a circular seat and splayed legs, his first design for Finnish furniture company Artek.
![Artek Rival by Konstantin Grcic_dezeen_1](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/04/Artek-Rival-by-Konstantin-Grcic_dezeen_1.jpg)
Grcic's circular Rival chair for Artek incorporates a swivel function and has four splayed legs milled from solid birch.
![Artek Rival by Konstantin Grcic_dezeen_3](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/04/Artek-Rival-by-Konstantin-Grcic_dezeen_3.jpg)
"Grcic designed legs milled from one piece of solid birch," said a statement from Artek. "This technique has recently been used in a number of chairs, resulting in the wood taking on a fluid quality more like moulded plastic than timber."
![Artek Rival by Konstantin Grcic_dezeen_5](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/04/Artek-Rival-by-Konstantin-Grcic_dezeen_5.jpg)
Laminated birch is used for the arms and the backrest, formed from one curved element, as well as for the vertical supports holding this piece in place.
![Artek Rival by Konstantin Grcic_dezeen_7](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/04/Artek-Rival-by-Konstantin-Grcic_dezeen_7.jpg)
It comes in a high and low-back version, with a choice of upholstery in a three-dimensional textile or leather for the seat. Colour options include white, black, and red, as well as natural wood.
![Artek Rival by Konstantin Grcic_dezeen_6](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/04/Artek-Rival-by-Konstantin-Grcic_dezeen_6.jpg)
The chair was presented at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan last week.
Here is some information from the designer:
Introducing the Rival by Konstantin Grcic
Konstantin Grcic's Rival is designed with people working from home in mind.
![Artek Rival by Konstantin Grcic_dezeen_9](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/04/Artek-Rival-by-Konstantin-Grcic_dezeen_9.jpg)
In its use of materials, Rival reflects its roots in the legacy of Artek, with a mix of solid birch for the legs and laminated birch for the arms and back, and in the circular geometry of the seat. But it also has a technical finesse, which transforms it into an entirely modern piece of furniture. The swivel function offers a psychological clue as to the purpose of the chair – a multifunctional task chair for contemporary living.
![Artek Rival by Konstantin Grcic_dezeen_8](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/04/Artek-Rival-by-Konstantin-Grcic_dezeen_8.jpg)
Grcic designed legs milled from one piece of solid birch. This technique has recently been used in a number of chairs, resulting in the wood taking on a fluid quality more like moulded plastic than timber. But Grcic has maintained a more conventional form that reflects the materiality of birch. The birch of the back and the arms is displayed in a saw-cut lamella.
![Artek Rival by Konstantin Grcic_dezeen_2](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/04/Artek-Rival-by-Konstantin-Grcic_dezeen_2.jpg)
For Grcic, designing a chair works on a number of levels. There is the choice of materials, and it was clear that for the Rival, birch would play an important part. There is the home office typology, a reflection of a contemporary approach to life. And third is what might be called the grammar of construction, the way in which a piece is put together.
![Artek Rival by Konstantin Grcic_dezeen_4](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/04/Artek-Rival-by-Konstantin-Grcic_dezeen_4.jpg)
The first incarnation of Rival is an armchair with a low (KG001) and a high (KG002) back version, a seat in a choice of a three-dimensional textile or leather upholstery, available in a range of colours.