I often wonder when was the moment man decided that natural forms can be shaped or reformed to match our sitting needs – can you imagine the genius of the man who first made a chair? No more rolling off the curved surface of a rock, this particular rock is shaped to place your backside on it with comfort, or at least relative comfort compared to what was in store in those days. As someone who has spent plenty of time (not exactly proud of it) playing those home-designing games, let me tell you, my love affair with furniture design has been one of the longest relationships of my life. Working at YD has only amplified this attraction and it is product designs like these that certify my belief that furniture, designed with love and attention to detail, is a form of art. Scroll through our curated collection and I am sure, you will also become a connoisseur of fine furniture, and will willingly stay away from IKEA the next time you need something well-designed.
We have seen a lot of designs that incorporate resin – it’s a trending art that is here to stay. While most designers use resin to rework their design, designer Meubles Thouret decided to take an innovative approach that helps you appreciate the wood in its natural form even better – using resin to mold or join different pieces of wood. Each individual wooden piece retains that cut pattern, which is now encased in resin, and the added use of resin means the tricky joinery is now in the hands of this flexible material. Smart and aesthetic, isn’t it?!
Distinguished by its elegant formal shape and enhanced by its large rounded leather-wrapped arms, the Ryokō Armchair by David Girelli gives an instant feeling of calmness. Inspired by a Japanese folding chair from the 1960s, its features, materials, and joinery details elevate the lines and design elements of the chair. The loose back cushion adjusts around the ash frame when seated and offers an innovative sense of comfort.
We love it when designers mix up materials – the result is usually a fascinating take on an everyday design. That is precisely what happened when Mark George combined his knowledge of his architectural education with his creativity – a modern concrete and wood bed frame made in Ash wood as Ash retains its original coloring. Even though concrete fills in any gap, Mark has carefully constructed his bed frame so the finesse of the design shines through.
Designed by OS & OOS Studio and Klaas Kuiken with materials supplied by StoneCycling, this Terrazzo Bench is a sustainable solution for the increasing amount of glass waste produced in Zanzibar. “Zanzibar is an island with about 1 million inhabitants. In recent times, tourism has grown markedly and so too the volume of refuse. bottle-up seeks a solution to this issue. Most furniture for hotels in Zanzibar is currently imported from foreign countries and is often made of wood, which means it can be badly affected by the weather conditions on the island. Furniture made from Trending Terrazzo is much more sustainable, beautiful to look at, and generates awareness for bottle-up.”
Nic Wallenberg, while studying at the RCA designed the Squeeze Chair. Cute name and an even cuter design! The chair contains just five bolts – how you ask? Nic used an asymmetric joint that allows straight timber to bend. Wallenberg made the chair from American hickory as part of AHEC’s Out of the Woods project. The designer explains, “Under a load of a seated person, these joints will bend, becoming concave on the side of the thinner person. In this way, the seat and back can flex into an ergonomic shape that is comfortable for sitting, allowing straight pieces of timber could be used that would create curves in operation.”
Aero bar cart by Plataform4 for Lider Interiors shows us a more elegant version of the classic straw woven ventilated cabinet door contrasted by a simple leather pull. This merging of two extremely traditional materials in a modern avatar is guaranteed to be a show-stealer, letting you store your bar essentials while bringing a light airy feel to any room.
Marcel Sigel‘s design is the perfect example to explain my love of detailed designs. Marcel takes a chair, but it is his attention to detail – from the carving of the chair’s backrest to its light yet sturdy frame that makes the Still Life chair an apt addition to any room. Marcel says, “The archetypal leg and frame construction are refined for strength and lightness; whilst the backrest, with logic that may seem less obvious, developed purely out of ergonomic rationale. This defining feature flows outwards from the sides before turning tightly back on itself, pushing material properties to the extreme. As a result, the backrest sits forward off the legs, creating space for greater lumbar movement and comfort.”
Meet the Pickapart Table by Josh Carmody! The name may be cute, but the table holds its value with the structural details that show off its almost piece-by-piece construction in its joinery. The design is not only versatile – its a modular, flatpack, and future-proof in its construction. Available in a variety of sizes, it’s the joinery that holds the buyer’s attention, as the designer explains, “The structural concept for both the frame and tabletop is designed around contemporary and glueless iterations of fine woodworking joints – all pinned together with a purpose-designed compression joint – machined in brass.”
For this fluffy yet modern design, we’ll let the makers, Fomu Design do the talking, “The L’Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) Lounge chair draws influence from mid-century French design with a focus on finding the balance between art and function while using design principals and modern production methods to achieve seamless form and details. The chair consists of two main upholstered components paired with a thoughtfully contrasting solid oak timber panel frame. The timber parts of the chair provide a clean simple support system which allows the large, almost oversized upholstered components to seamlessly become the dominant feature in this design.” The texture of this beautiful chair is inviting in its natural state, making the user almost helpless in wanting to touch, feel, and interact with the chair, physically.
The Polly cabinet is a versatile storage and shelving solution. Made in solid timber, the Polly cabinet celebrates simplicity combined with subtle flowing lines and as always with TIDE Design, it is the beautiful positioning of the slanted wooden legs that caught our attention!
For more detailed furniture design, check out the previous posts in this series for beautifully detailed interior decor inspiration!
