realized by belgian designer alain gilles,  the chubby stool is the first of its kind — a furniture made out of glass which conveys real warmth and could be quite comfortable, hence its generous forms and friendly curves.

alain gilles chubby glass stool verreum designboom
mixing materials not usually associated together to create the first upholstered glass furniture piece
image © boysplaynice

 

 

alain gilles‘ chubby collection plays on the iconic shape of a milk stool, while introducing an unusual combination of materials. developed for prague-based company verreum, the series combines fabric and glass — two materials never put together in a single product — to create an unexpected home object. the glass is mouth blown and silvered according to traditional techniques of czech republic, while the fabric consists of upholstered foam on which the person can comfortably sit — protecting them from the body of glass.

alain gilles chubby glass stool verreum designboom
pink version of the alain gilles chubby glass stool
image © boysplaynice 

 

 

the chubby stool collection has been showcased in october of this year, during the INTERIEUR KORTRIK biennale (BE) at the water bar as part of a curated selection done by lise coirier to commemorate the silver edition of the biennale.

alain gilles chubby glass stool verreum designboom
generous curved shapes bring warmth to glass, a generally cold material 

alain gilles chubby glass stool verreum designboom
hand blown glass that has been silvered following a traditional technique from czech republic 

alain gilles chubby glass stool verreum designboom
the glass is hand blown with different colors / silver-like version 

alain gilles chubby glass stool verreum designboom
the making of: heating / melting process of the glass 

alain gilles chubby glass stool verreum designboom
applying white glass finish for the white stool to the underlying blown glass

alain gilles chubby glass stool verreum designboom
 alain gilles chubby glass stool: the shaping process

alain gilles chubby stool verreum designboom
finalizing the shape of the glass stool 

alain gilles chubby glass stool verreum designboom
the form is created using a wooden mold

alain gilles chubby glass stool verreum designboom
finalizing the glass stool at the glassmaking workshop 

 

 

project info: 

 

materials:  hand blown glass, silvering process, foam, upholstered fabric

dimensions: 30 x 48 cm  ( d x h )

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom