Nina Cho – Curved Chair (2015)

 Let’s give the word to Nina Cho, Asian American designer, who in an interview in June 2015 spoke about the Curved Chair she had recently designed: ‘As a continuation of my research into planar material, I created the shell of a chair through a single, broad bend. (…) I started out by making a bunch of small-scale models with paper. I was experimenting with different forms and colours to study their respective effects, and after carefully considering the various forms, I was inspired to apply the form to a chair design. I started to build the prototype of Curved Chair with my colleague, designer Hannah Vaughan, who helped me to fabricate the chair. First, we cut a pie-shaped piece away from a circular sheet of thin-gauge steel. We then formed a gentle curve in the metal using a slip roll. We quickly connected the edges with sturdy weld. This simple gesture creates the envelope of the chair shell. When we made the legs, we used a torch to heat up the steel bar and quickly bent it over a custom jig. We made several iterations of the legs to create a beautiful outline and a stable structure. The form of the legs echoes the sweeping curve of shell’s perimeter. The wide seat invites users to have freedom with their posture. The long line of the outside curve also functions as an armrest.’ (https://www.sightunseen.com/2015/06/nina-cho-furniture-designer/).

Author: Fátima Pombo

Photo: Nina Cho with her Curved Chair. Photo by Charles William Kelly https://www.nextspacedetroit.com/nina-cho