Lánuda Chair

Balance is the structure

Origin

The chair rests on its own cantilever.

The backrest rises in a single plane, tall and straight; the base curves down to a flange of sheet steel that runs along the floor. There is no leg and no crossbar — what holds the piece up is how the weight is distributed along the fold.

It is the hardest model to get right on the bench. A few degrees more in the curve and the chair loses its stance; a few less and the backrest goes stiff. In the sketchbook, the drawing sits under the question “Name?”, with the angles of 103° and 135° noted beside it.

The name came later, from the seat: raw wool spilling over the edge like a fleece. Lánuda — the only soft part of the piece, and the one that changes most with use.

Sketchbook page with the chair drawing and the question “Name?” — Workshop sketchbook — the angles of 103° and 135° noted by hand

Work the steel — Listen and understand — Be a makerWork the steel — Listen and understand — Be a makerWork the steel — Listen and understand — Be a makerWork the steel — Listen and understand — Be a maker

Four stages

Process

Sketchbook

Sketch, dimensions and decisions — the piece drawn before it exists.

Sheet

Cutting and shaping the steel by hand, seam by seam.

Oxidation

The reaction of the metal guided to the right tone — the signature of the piece.

Varnish

The surface sealed at its exact moment, to last.

In the field

Original images and studies, no retouching

Close-up of the overlapping felt discs on the seat

Lánuda Chair in the field, with its seat of felt discs

Pencil study of the chair in perspective

In the workshop it appears with the wool fleece; in the field, with the felt discs. The seat is the variable — the sheet is always the same.

Full turn

360°

Lánuda Chair turning 360°, showing the finish on each face

Full turn: the curve of the base and the skins of the steel — pigmented, aged and polished metal.

Each sheet takes a different treatment on each face. Turning the piece, the same object changes colour, shine and visual weight — and that is why the choice of finish changes the result so much.