rui alves: tour + giro + vuelta

3/4 view of the ‘tour’ chair. image courtesy of alves

portuguese industrial designer rui alves‘ exhibits his story in furniture at salone satellite during milan design week 2011. combining a family line of artisanal woodworking and an education in industrial design, alves translated his passion for biking and bike culture into a trip that took one year to complete. the furniture is based on the visual forms of bike components as applied to traditional furniture making techniques including metal spinning, wood laminating and leather sewing.

each of the three pieces are named after the three grand biking tours, the ‘tour’ (de france) chair, the ‘vuelta’ (a espana) side table and the ‘giro’ (d’italia) sunbrella.

profile view of chair. image courtesy of alves

detail of the handle bar grips on the ‘tour’ chair. image © designboom

the ‘tour’ chair borrows the tube structure of bike construction, made in laminated wood and sanded to shape. the front of the chair features dropped bars and cloth handle tape, while the enlarged leather saddle is supported by an undercarriage of aluminum.

detail of seat. image courtesy of alves

detail of joints. image courtesy of alves

detail of the leather saddle. image © designboom

profile view of the side table. image © designboom

the ‘vuelta’ side table takes an abstracted form of a bike bell, except with feet under it instead of handle bars. a ring shaped handle on the top sits flush but rotates out for easy use.

underside of the side table. image © designboom

varying positions of the top handle. image courtesy of alves

the ‘giro’ pulls from bicycle wheel construction and bends it into a sunbrella shape with a cycling cap bill. constructed in the same laminated and sanded wood with aluminum and felt details. deconstructable into its easy to transport components.