claesson koivisto rune adds nordic interpretation for TON collection 822

studio Claesson Koivisto Rune collaborates with TON for 822

What started out as a limited-edition series for a family restaurant in Norway turned into a characteristic collection for TON. Studio Claesson Koivisto Rune adds its Nordic spin as Scandinavian minimalism reinterprets a classical chair. Signalled by circular perforations, the plywood 822 model connects the evolution of manually bending wood with technology. TON celebrates the line of products – including an armchair, lounge armchair, bar and low stools in various colors – at Salone del Mobile in Milan, between 7 and 12 June, 2022.

The 822 TON lounge armchair by studio Claesson Koivisto Rune decorating an apartment in Prague

Czech company TON continues to follow the principles of handcrafted woodwork, handed down from one generation to the next, and its functional connection with timeless design. The brand focuses on using natural materials to make high-quality products in both structure and design, living up its motto: ‘handcrafted for generations’. Through a collaboration with Swedish design firm Studio Claesson Koivisto Rune founded by Mårten Claesson, Eero Koivisto and Ola Rune, collection 822 arises.

Close-up of the lounge armchair in black

the inspiration for ton’s 822 collection dates back to 1930

The characteristic shape of the seating series was inspired by the A811 chair designed by Viennese architect Josef Hoffmann in 1930, an iconic product of modernist furniture, initially designed for the café of Werkbund Exhibition in Vienna. The chair, both with and without armrests, was later adapted into the model that is currently still being produced.

‘The original designs of the A811 and 811 are great examples of the early modernist movement. But they clearly show the heritage of 19th century romanticism. We decided to remove this feeling,’ states Mårten Claesson.

‘It is quite natural to work on something from the past and update it for our time. And, as architects, we work on many projects where we have to deal with renovating old buildings and implementing the original architecture in a new way and this is quite a similar task,’ adds Eero Koivisto.

Armchair 822 in yellow

Collection 822 combines the use of shaped plywood and manually bent solid wood. The exclusive use of beechwood for manual bending is also one of the specifications. The natural character of bent beechwood can be retained, or it can be finished with stains or pigment colours. The products are made from wood certified by PEFC, a system focusing on responsible approaches to forest ecosystems and on expanding them. ‘

Bentwood chair design is closely connected to the technology and limitations of bending. And we like these limitations,’ explains Mårten.

free standing low and bar stools in black and white respectively decorating the kitchen

‘we spent hundreds of hours creating those openings,’ says Eero Koivisto

The 822 model gains its unique character from the graphic dot perforations on the plywood seat and backrest. They impart the chair’s distinctive character and create a shifting visual motif, connecting with the interior, the colors worn by the person sitting in it, or rays of sunlight.

‘We had to adjust the dot pattern to the chair’s structure, to avoid some construction elements which are placed under the seat. The history of bentwood is evolution, not revolution, and we are continuing this story. And that is why we call the chair 822, because we are in 2022,’ Mårten notes.

‘From the beginning, we did not know how many holes there should be, or how large. We spent hundreds of hours creating those openings. We also had to deal with the dimensions of the holes. The original Hoffmann chair has larger holes because it was not possible to make them smaller at that time. But now we have procedures that can. I like that we extended traditional bentwood technology, which has not changed for 160 years, to the future, using these contemporary possibilities,’ adds Eero.

manually bentwood meets technology for ton’s 822 collection

In the same way the 822 chair and armchair were created, the designers also conceived the other typological variants, including a lounge armchair and bar and low stools. The renowned Swedish studio has been a world leader in contemporary design since it was founded in 1995 and working with TON was their first experience of bentwood technology.

‘The most unusual design in this family is the lounge chair. It is not so easy to create it from a normal chair, not even in the context of production processes. When you see the people working in their factory, it’s like a ballet. One of the most powerful moments in designing furniture that you could ever see,’ Ola Rune mentions.

‘We have to admit that the bentwood technology proved itself the best for seating furniture in restaurants and cafés. It is durable, it is naturally strong and flexible. We had been looking for this technology for many years. But only a few companies can actually work with it. And TON is one of the best producers in this category. For us, it was a secret dream to make something from bentwood,’ Mårten Claesson concludes, on behalf of the whole studio.