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Cologne 2011: designer François Dumas of the Netherlands presented this collection of chairs made from bent plastic rods as part of [D3] Design Talents at imm cologne in Germany.

Called Sealed Chair, the design is made by heating plastic rods to make them flexible then setting in wooden moulds – much like the production of bent wood furniture.

Whilst the rods cool, the connection points are melted and the moulds joined together, pressing the melted areas against one another to form a seal and the joints of the chairs.

Three rods are required to make an armchair while only two are needed to make a chair.

Dumas has also created a more durable version of the seat using a stronger thermoplastic and screws.

imm cologne took place 18-23 January. See all our coverage of the event here »

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Here’s some information from the designer:

Sealed Chair François Dumas 2010.

Sealed Chair results from the research and development of an accessible and affordable serial production process. The chair’s structure consists of three extruded plastic rods made flexible by heating in an oven.

After having been formed in wooden templates, the parts are connected using a welding technique that emphasises the melting of the plastic: a seal. Those seals are made by imbricating the templates together as a puzzle. Depending of puzzling two or tree templates, the outcome of this mould is either a chair or an armchair.

The construction of the chair results from drawing with these bending and welding techniques. Each part works in synergy with the others, stabilizing the ensemble.

See also:

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Well Transparent Chair by Ron Arad	Sparkling Chair by Marcel Wanders for Magis	All our coverage of Cologne 2011