Hasta La Ideas

Stockholm 2011: Julien de Smedt Architects of Copenhagen, Oslo and Brussels presented this chair at Stockholm Furniture Fair last month. 

Called Bone Chair, the design was developed by creating a boxy approximation of a seat and selectively removing material from each plane.

The prototype was presented as part of 101% Designed in Brussels at the fair.

Stockholm Furniture Fair took place 8-12 February. See all our coverage fo the event »

More furniture on Dezeen »

Here’s a tiny bit of text from Julien de Smedt Architects:

The dissection of a chair, cutting away all the ballast material. What is left is BONE, a chair’s skeleton.

Project: Chair design
Dmensions: 54 (l) x 57 (d) x 79 (h) cm
Status: Prototyping
Project Team: Julien de Smedt, Wouter Dons

See also:

.

Bone Armchair by Joris Laarman	LoveThisChair by Huibert van Muilwijk	BAC chair by Jasper Morrison

Stockholm 2011: here’s an upholstered chair launched by designer Chris Martin of Swedish company Massproductions at Stockholm Furniture Fair this month.

Called Crown, the armchair has a backrest that appears to perch on its slender arms.

An easy chair is also available, upholstered in the same stretchy woollen fabric to minimise seams.

See our popular story on Massproductions’ Jig chair, also launched in Stockholm this month, in our earlier story.

Stockholm Furniture Fair took place 8-12 February 2011. See all our coverage of the event »

See all our stories about Massproductions »

Here are some more details from Massproductions:

New upholstery collection by Chris Martin for Massproductions

The Crown armchair and easy chair create a dignified and elegant sitting experience, regardless of the location in which they are placed. They have a light, open back design with fully upholstered side panels which give a sense of volume despite the chair’s low weight. The chairs are made from relatively flat parts, which when joined together give a strong form which is greater than their sum parts. The backrest is perched on top of the armrests and seems to be unsupported. The connection is in fact very strong and this innovation adds to the visual playfulness of the chairs. The Crown armchair and easy chair are upholstered in a heavy duty woollen stretch textile, which allows us to keep seems to a minimum, further enhancing their beautiful forms.

In just two years Massproductions has established itself as one of the most exciting furniture companies in Europe. Their first collection included the “Tio” chair, which is generally considered to be a new modern classic. This is their 3rd presentation at the Stockholm Furniture Fair and sees the collection expanding into upholstered products, under the creative direction of designer Chris Martin – an Englishman who has made his home in Stockholm. Together with fellow designer and co-owner Magnus Elebäck, Massproductions continues to deliver elegant, rational and functional furniture pieces to grace our built environments.

See also:

.

Jig by Massproductions	Harry stool by Massproductions	Tio by Massproductions

Stockholm 2011: Swedish furniture company Massproductions present this simple steel-framed armchair at Stockholm Furniture Fair this week.

Called Jig, the chair has a frame made of 10 steel tubes welded together.

The design is painted and upholstered in a range of colour combinations.

Stockholm Furniture Fair continues until 12 February. See all our coverage of the event here »

See also: Tio by Massproductions.

More furniture on Dezeen »

Here’s some more information from Massproductions:

Jig – New chair by Chris Martin for Massproductions.

The outline of an armchair is traced with painted steel tubes, the back and seat voids are then filled with tailored panels. The Jig chair frame is made from 10 steel tubes, each of them simple components in themselves but when placed in a jig (hence the name) and welded in the desired configuration, a good looking and comfortable chair is made. There are many opportunities for exploring colour and contrast with the combination of painted frame and upholstered panels. Jig is a lightweight, robust and stackable armchair intended for commercial spaces and hospitality areas.

“The Jig chair could have been designed shortly after the invention of the steel tube. Even with a well established material, I hope I’ve designed something new and with a unique personality.” Says Chris Martin

In just two years Massproductions has established itself as one of the most exciting furniture companies in Europe. Their first collection included the “Tio” chair, which is generally considered to be a new modern classic. This is their 3rd presentation at the Stockholm Furniture Fair and sees the collection expanding into upholstered products, under the creative direction of designer Chris Martin – an Englishman who has made his home in Stockholm. Together with fellow designer and co-owner Magnus Elebäck, Massproductions continues to deliver elegant, rational and functional furniture pieces to grace our built environments.

See also:

.

Tio by Massproductions	Harry stool by Massproductions	Serpentine by Eléonore Nalet

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 »

More chairs on Dezeen »

See all our furniture stories »

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:

.

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

Eero Aarnio launches an update to his renowned 1968 Pastil Chair on a new private-sale site

Getting a “do-over” usually only happens in video games, and it’s even rarer still in the world of design. With Eero Aarnio‘s molded fiberglass Soap Chair, he’s improved on his own classic design, creating a version of his revered 1968 Pastil Chair for today’s lifestyle.

The designer says, “I like to keep my design range as wide as possible. For example, the smallest object I designed is a tooth pick for Finnair and the largest one is my studio home.” For the chair he added an integrated handle for easy transport and a built-in cup that holds mobile phones or remote controls—updates that allow for spontaneous furniture rearranging for those always-on-the-go. Also in keeping with current sustainable thinking, Aarnio explains that to “confirm the quality and trust that my new chair lasts for generations to come and thus be part of sustainable development,” the seating is produced in Finland at the same factory where his arguably more famous Ball Chair was made.

Like Ball and his other furniture, the living legend (he’s worked for five decades as a photographer and furniture and interior designer) derived the Soap Chair’s name from its shape. Drawing by hand in full 1:1 scale before forming a model in wood, Aarnio then studied the shape from every angle and test sat to ensure it’s balanced and ergonomically correct. The new design features soft corners and only comes in two colors—white because “it always looks good in fiberglass” and light blue because that is one of the colors typically occurring in Savon de Marseille (although he may add more soap colors to the collection later).

The Soap Chair (photographed at Aarnio’s home in Finland) launches today exclusively on the new members-only site DesignStory (joining is a snap). Available for one week only alongside other notable works, each of the ten on offer is signed by Eero Aarnio and sells for $1,850.