studio tjep. whittles down an IKEA chair to create the ‘recession’ collection

using an IKEA chair as a starting point, ‘recession’ by studio tjep. takes a mass-produced design and sands it down to a fragile, skeletal-like form. initially conceived by the dutch designer frank tjepkema back in 2011, the project was envisioned in response to the financial crisis that overwhelmed global economies, and society, at the time. 

all images courtesy of studio tjep. 

the project sees tjepkema whittle the timber chair down until it becomes a diminished version of the original. as a result, the chair is no longer functional, as it cannot bear the weight of any user. by doing this, the designer intends to evoke the sense of society being reduced to a fragile state after the global economic crisis. after forming the whittled-down chair, tjepkema then casts it in bronze, giving it the strength to function again and creating an intriguing final object that combines organic, sculpted forms with a smooth, cool, metal surface.

the IKEA chair is first carved into

‘receding is the act of withdrawing and diminishing. we were interested in exploring the visual impact of receding in relation to a design object. we took a popular mass produced chair and started sanding it to the finest possible version. the result is a process where the chair goes from normal, to diminished, to skeleton like. the resulting object looks as if it won’t withstand the weight of the person it’s supporting, yet the bronze casting provides the necessary strength for it to serve as a functional’  said frank tjepkema of studio tjep. 

the result is a skeletal-like object that appears fragile and delicate

the recession chair collection was designed in response to the global financial crisis of 2011

the wooden chairs are then cast in bronze

the bronze casting gives the chair renewed strength and function

project info:

project name: ‘recession chair’

design: studio tjep. 

year: 2011