Design story

Hidde: a chair with the idea of a catching glove

The useful thing about Hidde’s baseball-glove reference is the shape it suggests: a broad open surface that cups what it receives. Gerard van den Berg turns that idea towards the scale of a seated person.

Written and reviewed by PatinaHall2 minutes readPublished 23 October 2026

Broad brown leather tub chair with a deep cupped seat, curved upper edge, natural folds and a dark central swivel base. — PatinaHall editorial reconstruction. It is not a documentary photograph. The reconstruction illustrates the glove-like cup and relaxed cover. It represents the indoor Hidde idea and does not transfer the quilting or outdoor features of other variants.

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Key facts & takeaways

At a glance

Subject: Hidde armchair
Entry: Design story
Last reviewed: 23 October 2026

Three things to remember

LABEL attributes Hidde’s glove inspiration to Gerard van den Berg.
The indoor chair uses a loose cover over a formed body.
Soft, Outdoor and the indoor Hidde are distinct variants.

Turn a catching shape towards a person

LABEL describes the Hidde armchair as inspired by a baseball glove and named after Gerard van den Berg’s eldest grandson.¹ The first reference explains a physical idea; the second gives the chair a family connection.

The cup is the important part to notice. The back and sides gather around the seat rather than presenting a set of sharply separate planes. Seen from the front, the opening is broad; seen from the side, the body turns upwards around it. The sporting reference becomes a way to understand a volume.

Let the cover have some freedom

The technical sheet describes a tubular metal frame, moulded foam and a cover system that produces folds and creases, especially in a hollow-backed model such as Hidde.² Those folds belong to the producer’s account of the appearance, rather than necessarily being an accident to hide.

That detail changes how the surface is read. The chair can have a defined underlying form while its cover retains a looser character. Structure and visible ease do different jobs.

A broad rust-coloured cup surrounds pale curved marks, with a central support below, illustrating the gathered volume and surface folds. — Original PatinaHall schematic, not to scale. A cupped outer boundary gathers the sitting area, while curved interior marks stand for folds in a loose cover. The idea is enclosure by a soft surface, rather than a pattern for cutting or sewing upholstery.

A domestic rather than literal reference

Hidde does not need stitching that imitates every detail of sports equipment for the connection to work. The encompassing shape carries the idea at the scale of furniture.

It is a good example of a reference doing useful design work. Once the glove has directed attention to the cup, the eye returns to the chair itself: its open front, curved back and surface gathered around a place to sit.

Research notesEvidence, connections and limits

LABEL identifies the glove inspiration and designer, while its technical sheet describes the indoor Hidde. No first-design year is asserted, and Hidde Soft and Hidde Outdoor remain separate variants.

Evidence map

Connected subjects and evidence

Reviewed connections

Hidde armchairdesigned byGerard van den Bergdocumented
The indoor Hidde technical sheet explicitly prints Gerard van den Berg’s name. Hidde Soft and Outdoor are distinct variants.
Reviewed 23 October 2026 by PatinaHall editorial.
- Source 21–2, HIDDE: Gerard van den Berg
Hidde armchairmanufactured byLABEL Vandenbergdocumented
The source establishes this maker relationship in its stated scope. A historical example, current production and the original design date are separate facts.
Reviewed 23 October 2026 by PatinaHall editorial.
- Source 1Hidde Armchair; named after Gerard van den Berg’s eldest grandson

Research trail

Sources and further reading

Hidde Armchair: baseball-glove inspirationLABEL VandenbergAccessed 23 October 2026
HIDDE: Gerard van den Berg, technical sheetLABEL VandenbergAccessed 23 October 2026