Like many people, we love the Bauhaus aesthetic. Especially the chairs made of the bent steel and black leather belts. It's a timeless classic.
But the materials choice, especially leather belts, were the thing that bothered us. Since 1920s-30s the technology made a giant step forward, and we thought that there might be no need to use the leather to achieve this aesthetic. And we decided to try to find a good modern alternative.
But the materials choice, especially leather belts, were the thing that bothered us. Since 1920s-30s the technology made a giant step forward, and we thought that there might be no need to use the leather to achieve this aesthetic. And we decided to try to find a good modern alternative.
After some research, we found a wonderful alternative – the polyester webbing. It’s a sturdy durable material that stands serious loads without any deformation.
Moreover, a lot of factories are producing it from recycled plastic, because it’s black and doesn’t require bleaching, which currently is the main problem of the recycled polyester industry.
Moreover, a lot of factories are producing it from recycled plastic, because it’s black and doesn’t require bleaching, which currently is the main problem of the recycled polyester industry.
For the chair frame, we used the oak directly purchased from the local sawmill that is producing lumber consciously. They are planting hundreds of trees each year to support the ecosystem.
Oak is solid and durable wood which was particularly good for our needs because we wanted to make the frame visually transparent to emphasize the belts pattern.
We wanted our chairs to be simple and easy to make both limited edition and industrial scale.
That’s why we choose to use a simple straight square and rectangular boards and avoid a lot of glueing. Most cuts are 90°, which also simplifies the process.
That’s why we choose to use a simple straight square and rectangular boards and avoid a lot of glueing. Most cuts are 90°, which also simplifies the process.
Chair frame consists of 2 symmetrical 'zigzag' parts, 4 horizontal stretchers and 4 pressing boards.
The whole frame has 4 glueing joints. Everything else is simply screwed in place with bolts, which makes these chairs disassemblable and easy to transport flat packed.
Design. Sketches.
Here you have a chance to see the first sketches of the BOW chair, that were made during our first discussion. Very raw, and very honest! Eventually, each designer does lame sketches once in a while :)
Later we did a pretty version for the sake of presentation.
Design. Prototypes.
After raw sketching, we immediately started prototyping to test what would work and look good.
Design. 3D working on the details.
Prototyping and 3d modelling were going simultaneously. Daytime we were doing prototypes and testing joints, and then returning to the office to make changes to 3D models and prepare the new drawings for tomorrow. We did around 22 versions constantly dissembling and re-designing separate parts of a structure. I’m not including all versions, because between some of them the changes were hardly noticeable.
Final Design.
We made a short film with our chairs. Enjoy!
