hand-bent chair

Dear Mr. Perazza,

Welcome to this hidden page on my website, where you’ll find an explanatory video about the idea, along with behind-the-scenes images of my chair proposal. You are kindly advised to watch the video first to better understand the process.

The HAND-BENT chair explores new production methods as a way to arrive at new forms and a new simplicity.

Exactly one hundred years ago, the Bauhaus moved from Weimar to Dessau. There, Bauhaus masters Marcel Breuer, Mart Stam, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe experimented with cold-bent tubular steel and invented the cantilever chair.

With this piece, I push the making process of traditional tubular furniture one step further. The elegantly bent steel demands great precision and an advanced machinery setup, a sharp contrast to the hand-bending craftsmanship of the past.

This hand-bending process, combined with simple rectangular plate patterns and tube optimization, results in subtle yet defining details in this piece. Within a strict and minimally functional chair grid, equal tension and a blunt angle create a gentle curvature in the seat. Through similar tension and slightly tapering back legs, the backrest forms a conical curve that enhances comfort. The horizontal tube at the back is not only necessary for welding the backrest at middlepoint, but it simultaniously fixes the distance between the rear legs and makes the chair easy to move, serving as a handle.

Dimensions
43 × 43 × 82 cm

Material
Prototype 1: blue-rolled steel
Prototype 2: untreated stainless steel
Prototype 3: stainless steel with a glass bead finish
Prototype 4: aluminum,  to be continued…

Indicative 3D-printed end caps, customizable on a per-project basis. These could be accompanied by a visible blue ball, or by using only ten hollowed caps in a more subtle black color, for example.

Production time per chair
Bending and welding: 20 minutes only

Modularity
Thanks to its simple modular construction, the welding process and the water/dirt-closing end caps, the chair is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, easy made with or without armrests, and in both high, low and low lounge versions. Its lightweight design and form make it also stackable and easy to move.

My next prototype will be made of aluminium with a tube and plate thickness of 2 mm. Following advice from experts, it requires a slight adjustment to the cutting pattern at the corners to make this possible. The total weight is expected to be approximately 4 kg. I will also experiment with the pattern from the backrest (trapezoidal shape).

I look forward to hearing your feedback, and please don’t hesitate to contact me directly via email or my mobile number. I’m very open to discussing this project further.

Kind regards,

James
email: james@jamesvanvossel.com
mobile number: 0032 474 605 647