Inspiration
Solid. A dependable character of the highest sorts, the namesake of the Bertha chair is Bertha Wilson. The name came out of a conversation that the designer, Donna Wilson, had with Zita Cobb, founder of the Shorefast Foundation. “When she found out that I was Scottish and my last name was Wilson, she shared a story about the only other Scottish woman whom she had ever met who went by the name of Wilson – Bertha Wilson. A woman of modest means, she became the first female appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. It seemed like a fitting name for such a humble and modern chair.”
The Bertha chair is inspired by the vintage barrel chairs and rockers of traditional Outport design which turned disused flour barrels into a perfect perch that made the most out of something that would have gone to waste. The faceted back of the chair reflects the barrels and boat coopering with simple, solid planks.
There is nothing better to accompany the Bertha Chair than its sidekick, the Pouffe.