Tokyo-based architect and designer Toshiki Omatsu has reportedly revealed his latest furniture project named 'Shades of Michelangelo’. The project includes exquisite chairs made of warm maple wood with a cold metal surface that lends a simple yet intriguing design connecting between natural and man-made materials.
The back plate of the chair is formed at an angle to the sheet surface since a right-angled plate could be uncomfortable for users to sit on. The design of the chair derives from a question that Omatsu had raised once - what if the back plate is deformed according to one’s leaning on it backward?
The back plate, the sheet, and the partial front legs are made out of a bended single aluminium sheet with a thickness of 3mm. It is to be noted that partial front legs are not just for design but for structural strength without any joints between legs.
Also, the metal used for the seat and back plate is made with the help of a new technology, which is more typically reserved for architectural facades. The technology is called ‘incremental forming’ and developed by a Japanese metal expert Kikukawa Kogyo. Incremental forming is a dieless metalworking process suitable for producing a wide variety of products. Advantages of this process are it reduces cost and lead time compared with conventional metalworking process.
Responses
