Veneer seat and backrest drape over frame of Thomas Bentzen's Soft Chair
Copenhagen-based designer Thomas Bentzen has developed a chair to highlight the fluid curves that can be generated using moulded wood veneer, which appears to gently fold over its solid wood frame.
Bentzen designed the Soft Chair for Danish brand Takt using manufacturing methods and materials that have been popular with Scandinavian designers for decades.
The chair has been made from moulded plywood, which is created by glueing together thin pieces of veneer before inserting the layered sheets into a mould and pressing them into the desired shape.
Bentzen wanted to celebrate all of the materials and components used in the Soft Chair's construction. The curved plywood elements slot onto a simple frame that is held together by exposed metal bolts.
Bentzen's contemporary take on the moulded wood chair uses the moulding process to shape the seat and backrest, which appear to drape around a frame made from solid ash.
The double curves created during the moulding process help to strengthen the overall construction.
As a result, the Soft Chair "shows an intelligent application of moulded veneer, rendering it like a cloth that surrounds the construction," said the designer.
Another objective of the project was to make the chair as sustainable as possible. This was achieved by first using only solid wood from FSC-certified suppliers.
The chair is also flat-packed for shipping to minimise the space required and therefore reduce CO2 emissions. Parts can be replaced if they become worn, and the entire chair can be disassembled for recycling at the end of its life.
The ash wood used for the chair features a distinctive grain that showcases the changes in the seasons as the tree grows. It is available with a clear matt lacquer or black lacquer.
The chair is shortlisted in the Seating design category of the Dezeen Awards 2019, alongside another flatpack chair designed for Takt by London studio PearsonLloyd and a 3D-printed concrete bench developed to protect the public from vehicle-led terrorist attacks.
Bentzen's previous furniture projects include a wooden lounge chair inspired by traditional Scandinavian aesthetics, and a sideboard featuring industrial details influenced by visits to factories.
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