At the tender age of 28, Dieter Rams's 606 Universal Shelving System was launched in the German market. But he had also been working on the notion of another kit of parts that could be adapted, changed, added to in response to your changing life: the 620 Chair Programme.

Rams describes that he wanted to create a piece of upholstered furniture that was sumptuously comfortable but also visually light. Of course, he wanted it to be long-living so, not only did he ensure that all of the upholstery was removable, but he allowed a single chair to be transformed into a multiple-seat sofa.

620 was awarded the Rosenthal Studio Prize in 1966 and received a Gold Medal at the International Furniture Exhibition in Vienna in 1969. It then went on to be exhibited in numerous international exhibitions, including Modern Chairs 1918-1970 at the Whitechapel Art Gallery organised by the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1970. 620 has been included in the V&A’s permanent collection since 1970.

In 2006 the 620 Chair Programme was reissued in both the UK and US. Many knowledgable observers have commented that they are astonished that such an important piece of 20th century furniture has managed to pass them by.

(The black and white photographs were taken in 1964 by Ingeborg Kracht-Rams and show the original production version of the chair. The colour photograph of the current chair was taken in 2006 by Ken Kirkwood.)

High resolution images

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