Claud Bunyard's CB10 Chair

Designed by Bunyard in 1963, the CB10 Chair is a reinterpretation of the traditional Windsor chair. The CB10 can be seen throughout the Center’s galleries, libraries, offices, and other common areas. The Windsor chair is of a durable construction by design. Bunyard’s version is made of ash, which has proven to withstand the test of time. The Center also has many examples of the armless version, which Bunyard called the CB12. Bunyard advertised these chairs for a variety of settings, including residential buildings, libraries, restaurants, and hospitals. Kahn included these chairs in the Exeter Library that he designed and completed in 1972. As at Exeter, the CB10 and CB12 are often paired at the Center with Trestle Tables in the libraries and classrooms. Ash, a North American hardwood, is similar to oak in its durability and grain pattern. It is particularly well suited for the making of Windsor chairs because of its ability to be easily steam bent into the various curved components necessary for construction. The finish applied to the CB10 is “white oak with institutional lacquer.” Kahn employed white oak prominently throughout the architecture of the Center. The lacquer-finished ash of the chairs takes on the look of oak, making them cohesive with the other oak elements in the building.