'tension bentwood chair' by dohoon kim
image © designboom


korean designer dohoon kim's 'tension bentwood chair' uses the classic bentwood technique
that thonet is known for. many versions of this production method have been developed
for a variety of purposes, and kim is continuing this exploration by designing and making objects
based on both steam and laminated bentwood skills. his 'tension bentwood chair' presented at
imm cologne furniture fair 2011 as part of [D3] design talents, is organically structured using
the laminating technique.



image © designboom


typically the bentwood technique is executed through the use of moulds,
however kim's method creates curves naturally through the wood's flexibility and elasticity.
his practice begins by cutting ash wood into thin slices, bending them while they are
layered and clamped without any moulds - thus allowing him to create curves freely and naturally.
if one looks closely, they can see that the curves twist slightly in order to connect to each other.
another detail is that the bent backrest has the seam width as the legs in order to maintain
a sense of unity within the chair's construction.

with an appearance similar to that of crutches, the filigree and chair's solid legs fill both a
constructive and aesthetic function.






up close look at the freely bent form



detail of the laminated pieces of ash wood



process of laminating and bending the chair's structure



production process and strips of ash wood waiting to be laminated