"More than one hundred years after its invention, the coffee house chair is an icon. I am a great fan and I have a collection of fourty models from various origins, manufactured between 1880 and 1920. This furniture is a major challenge for a designer, as aesthetic and mechanical properties have to match together in order to last. Design #1 includes thirty two hand-built pieces." Alex Guichard explains, whose design studio is settled in New Zealand.

The recycled brass comes from vintage boats and trains and is purchased in China: having the same properties as the normal brass, it is part of the circular and local economy approach. The flax fiber composite is five times more resistant than wood and very light: each chair leg can hold 100kgs.

The corn and beet glucose bio-resin has been chosen for its transparency and natural scratch-resistant properties. Pieces are manufactured in Japan, and the chair is hand built in a workshop near Hong-Kong. Alex and his creation director Philippe Guichard intend to revisit other icons of the French Art de Vivre.

Design #1 has been awarded the Gold Medal in the category "Product design" at the Melbourne Design Awards in 2016, winner in the category "Design" at the JEC Singapore Innovation Awards in 2016 and winner in the category "Innovation" at the Ignite Business Awards 2016 of Wanaka in New-Zealand.

Photos © Revology

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Wednesday 20 February 2019, 10:53