johannes hemann: pressed bentwood johannes hemann: pressed bentwood
apr 25, 2012

johannes hemann: pressed bentwood

‘pressed wood stool’ by johannes hemann

‘pressed wood’ is a series of furniture developed by german designer johannes hemann whose production is based on the traditional techniques of bentwood, but with a twist.

in creating his pieces, hemann first puts pressure on fresh cut wood to divide and breakdown its fibres. this process of separation allows the designer to achieve much smaller radii with the branches in use, while also permitting him to change the natural round base of the tree limbs into more rectangular forms.

once the natural material has been manipulated in this way, hemann steams the wood, bending it in combination with glue  as he presses them into moulds to create the structural framework of his furniture objects. the parts that are untreated  are left in their natural state, maximizing the contrast between those which have been handled with those that have maintained their original look.

for his ‘pressed wood’ series, hemann uses U-shaped bases which he merges in two to make a table, stool and chair in combination with glass, leather or wood. the collection of furniture was presented by designart dealer victor hunt during milan design week 2012. 

‘pressed wood’ side table and stool

‘pressed wood’ stool and side table

‘pressed wood’ table

‘pressed wood’ lamp

‘pressed wood’ side table and stool image © designboom

raw material

breaking down the fibres of each branch

pressing and separating the fibres of the tree limbs

in combination with glue, the branches which have been broken down are pressed into moulds

detail of the resulting pressed wood 

andrea chin I designboom
apr 25, 2012

  • Great idea! Bringing nature and industrial production methods finally together.

    ssoJ says:
    Apr 25, 2012

  • way cool

    greg zurbay says:
    Apr 26, 2012

  • Seems a bit blunt approach, no? Why not try to guide the growth of the tree instead of applying unnatural and artificial force the bend it?

    Intrepid reporter says:
    Apr 26, 2012

have something to add? share your thoughts in our comments section below.

comments policy
LOG IN
designboom's comment policy guidelines
generally speaking, if we publish something, it's because we're genuinely interested in the subject. we hope you'll share this interest and if you know even more about it, please share! our goal in the discussion threads is to have good conversation and we prefer constructive opinions. we and our readers have fun with entertaining ones. designboom welcomes alerts about typos, incorrect names, and the like.
the correction is at the discretion of the post editor and may not happen immediately.

what if you disagree with what we or another commenter has to say?
let's hear it! but please understand that offensive, inappropriate, or just plain annoying comments may be deleted or shortened.

- please do not make racist, sexist, anti-semitic, homophobic or otherwise offensive comments.
- please don't personally insult the writers or your fellow commenters.
- please avoid using offensive words, replacing a few letters with asterisks is not a valid workaround.
- please don't include your website or e-mail address in your comments for the purpose of self-promotion.
- please respect jury verdicts and do not discuss offensively on the competition results
(there is only one fist prize, and designboom usually asks renown professionals to help us to promote talent.
in addition to the awarded designs, we do feel that almost all deserve our attention, that is why we publish
the best 100-200 entries too.)

a link is allowed in comments as long as they add value in the form of information, images, humor, etc. (links to the front page of your personal blog or website are not okay). unwelcome links (to commercial products or services of others, offensive material etc. ) will be redacted. and, ... yes, spam gets banned. no, we do not post fake comments.

forgot password

(207 articles)

PRODUCT LIBRARY

a diverse digital database that acts as a valuable guide in gaining insight and information about a product directly from the manufacturer, and serves as a rich reference point in developing a project or scheme.

design news

THE DESIGN PRIZE 2019 nominations are... THE DESIGN PRIZE 2019 nominations are...
mar 18, 2019

THE DESIGN PRIZE 2019 nominations are...

#design

THE DESIGN PRIZE has become an institution of the city of milan and the third edition of the international award will inaugurate milan design week 2019.

THE DESIGN PRIZE has become an institution of the city of milan and the third edition of the international award will inaugurate milan design week 2019.

#design

all design news