Tension Chair
Date 2020
Structure Steam Bent Plywood, Leather rachet straps
Materials Plywood, long velvet cushion
Continuing the exploration into using tensile structures in furniture, and what better material to explore tensility than bent plywood.
The chair is composed a straight plank of plywood that intersects the steam-bent piece that makes up the seat. These elements are encapsulated by two sets of leather ratchet straps that keeps the bent piece taut, creating a rocking and elastic lower seat. Ultimately, the idea is for the chair to fully disassemble into two flat pieces of plywood that makes for easy transportation, however, the nature of steam bent plywood will not allow for the lower half to unfold back into its original form. The end result is a materially minimal chair that highlights the beauty of tensility and flexibility in plywood.
The chair is composed a straight plank of plywood that intersects the steam-bent piece that makes up the seat. These elements are encapsulated by two sets of leather ratchet straps that keeps the bent piece taut, creating a rocking and elastic lower seat. Ultimately, the idea is for the chair to fully disassemble into two flat pieces of plywood that makes for easy transportation, however, the nature of steam bent plywood will not allow for the lower half to unfold back into its original form. The end result is a materially minimal chair that highlights the beauty of tensility and flexibility in plywood.
