Blend | Stellar Works
This Shanghai-based furniture brand unveiled its first collaboration with heavyweight studio Nendo on three distinctive collections this year: Blend, a three-legged bar stool; Frame, a steel frame system; and Kite (shown), a compact armchair designed for particularly narrow commercial and hospitality spaces such as corridors, elevator lobbies, and entrances. These spaces normally mean eliminating a chair’s backrest, but here the backrest is the star and leaning is the implied movement of the user.
CH78 Mama Bear | Carl Hansen & Son
This Danish outfit has been producing Hans J. Wegner furniture for the past 70 years and have just recently added another of his designs to their collection. Nicknamed Mama Bear for its visual identity of embracing, this lounge chair has a solid upholstered frame and angled legs that give it a relaxed and stable look, and the upwards-angled arm rests and curved backrest give it the appearance of a wingback chair.
Bell Chair | Magis
It may look like other stacking chairs, but the real story here is a Konstantin Grcic-designed monobloc chair made entirely from recycled polypropylene obtained from waste generated by Magis’ own furniture production and from the local car industry. The patented material excludes almost all “virgin or new” materials and can be fully recycled after use, making the chair an almost closed material cycle. At just 2.7 kilograms, the chair is 1½ kilos lighter than average plastic chairs, plus Magis has developed a reusable delivery pallet, which can stack up to 24 chairs, all testaments to less material use and waste.
Arum | Sandler
Designed be Sacha Lakic, this new entry in the stackable armchair category stands out for its elegant curves, functionality and affordability. Crafted from a powder coated steel frame and matching polypropylene seat and backrest, and available in 14 colour finishes with an optional upholstered seat cushion.
Captain’s Tables | Hamilton Holmes
This simple yet solid coffee table group is both three-legged and three-materialled: a course grained wooden frame, with a version where the legs are hand painted in a spiral form; a marble top which has recently evolved to include a bullnose edge detail; and hand-woven Danish Cord shelf, all speak to the Hamilton, Ont.-based furniture maker’s love of texture in scalable and contemporary design.
