benedetta tagliabue: rattan tina chair for expormim

benedetta tagliabue: rattan tina chair for expormim

rattan, and the techniques used to manipulate it has been extensively researched and applied throughout the collection of furniture brand expormim. having collaborated closely with experienced craftsman working with the pliable stems, the spanish company has extended its expertise surrounding the natural material to architect benedetta tagliabue of miralles tagliabue EMBT studio, enlisting her to create a contemporary version of the classic rattan seat.

view of the seat

‘tina armchair’ has been conceived with a clear intention:

‘the ‘tina’ armchair is the result of our collaboration with the industry. with a design featuring both innovation and tradition, it is built with the painstaking care and attention to detail characteristic of artisanal methods coupled with the precision and quality that comes with technology. it is surprisingly lightweight and sinuous due to the features and comfort of its natural braiding. wickerwork is a marvelous form of art, and an artisanal technique which is the same the world over. one can even say that wickerwork represents the first universal language of humankind: a language of hands. that is why we research about wicker and the weaving of natural materials in our design studio,’ says benedetta tagliabue.

detail of the woven wicker seat

‘tina’ is the first design for indoor use by EMBT

mood boards which speak to the final form of the ‘tina’ chair

the sac-like form of a fishing net and hammock influenced the final form of the chair

EMBT’s ‘spanish pavilion’ presented at the 2010 shanghai world expo

this is not the first time that benedetta tagliabue has worked with wicker. tagliabue likes using natural fibres and she has developed several architectural projects using similar materials seen in the expormim collection. she was responsible for the development of the spanish pavilion at the 2010 world shanghai expo whereby the entire exterior structure was composed of a steel metal framework, covered by woven wicker panels of varying colors, keeping the internal temperature of the building cool.

interior view of the spanish pavilion displaying the different colored wicker panels used to envelope the structure