In 2022, we received a brief from MDF Italia to design a new and iconic bar stool.
This brief led us to search for a distinctive bar stool silhouette which we believed was essential to achieve a strong icon. While exploring possible silhouettes, we came to understand that a bar stool is a very simple object with few elements to play with: a seat, a footrest and a base which are held up in space by a structure.
We wanted to look for new ways to create these structural lines in space and came to an aesthetic inspired by bicycle structures: simple tubes that are cut in various angles and are welded together. We love bicycle structures because they combine both industrial utilitarian aesthetics, yet they also have a sort of natural branch feel to them. This combination of industrial and natural resonated with us in the way that it is both bold and yet, still approachable.
The joining method of the tubes which are welded together, allowed us to play with the tubes angles and create a gentle cantilever structure, which creates an interesting visual tension while maintaining the strength of the structure.
In addition to designing the single bar stool, we were also interested in the way the barstool looked when it is multiplied, since barstools usually appear when multiplied in a row. It was important for us that this multiplication didn’t look like the same joke told over and over, but rather a kind of “barstool forest”. This is mostly visible in the swivel version, where each angle of the bar stool reveals another interesting angle and point of view for the object.
The result of the project is a barstool with a strong and bold aesthetics that compliments various space styles yet remains quiet and non-intrusive, so it can easily complement any space without commanding too much attention.
In 2022 MDF Italia came to us with a brief to design an iconic bar stool. We worked on the project during the summer of 2022, just after our son Yam was born. This meant that Yam participated in much of the research and concept development stages which were done at night in our living room after his sisters went to sleep : )
This brief we received from MDF, to design an iconic stool, led us to search for a distinctive bar stool silhouette which we believed was essential to achieve a strong icon. While exploring possible silhouettes, we came to understand that a bar stool is a very simple object with few elements to play with: a seat, a footrest and a base which are held up in space by a structure.
We wanted to look for new ways to create these structural lines in space and came to an aesthetic inspired by bicycle structures: simple tubes that are cut in various angles and are welded together. We love bicycle structures because they combine both industrial utilitarian aesthetics, yet they also have a sort of natural branch feel to them. This combination of industrial and natural resonated with us in the way that it is both bold and yet, still approachable.
The joining method of the tubes which are welded together, allowed us to play with the tube’s angles and create a gentle cantilever structure which creates an interesting visual tension while maintaining the strength of the structure. We played around with varying emphasises of this tension, finally deciding to proceed with an organic branchy cantilever that allows the visual play of balance without commanding too much attention.
A cardboard model of stool was made early in the design process.
Sketches of the foot rest pad.
Twig made its debut during Milan Design Week 2004 at the MDF Italia stand at Salone del Mobile.
