flip chair is a dining chair that converts to an easy chair.
It was originally part of grassworks, a series of self-assembly furniture in bamboo laminates that was designed to suit smaller living spaces.
The final version is milled out of a single material (european birch ply) and has a locking mechanism that makes use of the material’s inherent flexibility. It was developed in collaboration with amsterdam’s fiction factory, who is also producing it.
even though the iconic picnic table is a perfectly balanced piece of outdoor furniture, it is large, massive and therefore rather immobile. it also offers only one option – to sit face to face.
while being a fan of the classic picnic table and the sitting experience it offers, i thought i could try and improve on its mobility and the amount of space it consumes.
i’ve always considered space, weather indoors or outdoors, as one of our resources – and therefore tried to use it wisely.
so the folding picnic is exactly that – a mobile, collapsible and space-saving picnic table, suitable for smaller gardens or balconies.
it does have only one bench, you got me there, but that could be seen as an advantage. by adding chairs on the opposite side of the table (which obviously offers more comfort, for the aged let’s say), the folding picnic provides dinning space for up to four people.
the table is easy to collapse and, with a handle at the bottom of the bench, can be comfortably moved in and around the house.
the folded edge of the table top serves as a backrest when facing away from the table, offers another use of it – as a bench.
folding picnic is made of thermal treated bamboo suitable for outdoors.
Folding Picnic for Weltevree
choosing to work with a highly durable material like aluminum, the Bended Series can function both indoors and outdoors. aluminum is fully recyclable and retains its properties indefinitely. 75 percent of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today.
with a simple manipulation of bending all edges of the aluminum plates 45° inwards, my work was almost done. The connecting screws are hidden, sharp edges are eliminated and the construction is extremely strong but still flexible.
bended series for weltevree, made of 3mm powder coated aluminum
community-center/greenhouse interior for cascoland.
in an increasingly densifying city such as amsterdam, where more and more public space is disappearing or being privatized, the continued creation of well-functioning public space and meeting places for and by the neighborhood is important – well functioning outdoor space but also public indoor space that we can all share.
where in 2015 the jan van schaffelaarplantsoen was still a green meeting place for the neighborhood, the new rhapsody project now stands. the kolenkitkas (greenhouse) in the inner garden of the project can be used by both old and new residents of the kolenkit.
i’m a fan of multi-functional furniture; if a product can successfully fulfill more than one task, it has more reasons to exist.
even though the iconic picnic table is a perfectly balanced piece of outdoor furniture, it is large, massive and therefore rather immobile. it also offers only one option – to sit face to face.
by slicing it in half and bending one edge, a new object has emerged, one that can be used in various ways. it is easy to move around and if you have a couple, surprising configurations are possible.
this is the second version of tablebench for weltevree, made of galvanized and powder coated steel & thermal treated bamboo
play is a range of voluntary, naturally motivated activities normally associated with recreational pleasure and enjoyment.
play is free, is in fact freedom. play is not ‘ordinary’ or ‘real’ life.
play is connected with no material interest, and no profit can be gained from it.
however, play is most commonly associated with children and their juvenile-level activities, and all playing facilities designed for public space are scaled-down to kid’s size. looking further into public areas, the (adult) facilities on offer sum up to seating, normally benches, where comfort is definitely not a priority. considering how essential play is to our well being, and how predictable our public space is, off- ground is about up-scaling playing elements combined with seating alternatives – hanging, floating, swinging, laying – one size fits all. the hammocks/seats are locked in the steel structure and can easily be moved from a low seat to a hammock or a swing.
a collaboration with gitte nygaard.
off-ground.com
grasswork(2009-2010) are a series of experiments in self-assembly furniture – a range that is designed to be simple, space-saving and wholly sustainable.
the furniture is made from bamboo laminate sheets, with an interlocking system of component parts in order to assemble each piece with dry mechanical fastening and a minimal use of glue and screws.
considering ‘space’ as a resource, the intention behind this collection is to try and use it wisely – multi purpose objects that fold, collapse and flat pack.
bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth and can be harvested again and again from the same stalk.
grasswork has won the 2010 Brit Insurance designs of the year award furniture category, at the london design museum.
yet another attempt to refresh our lazy perception by reducing material to a bare minimum, and creating thin and slightly curved ply shells where the skin is also the structure.
this new variation of the iconic picnic table, made out of pressed bamboo, is trying to tackle two issues: splitting the bench into separate seats results in easier access on the one hand, but also offers another option- a more relaxed low seating position.
while there are numerous benches for public space, easy chairs are never to be found in parks and leisure areas, where one would expect them most.
a collaboration with wouter nieuwendijk
without any real mechanism, this bench consists of a few simple parts and can be flipped easily from side to side – watch the sunrise, watch the sunset. made out of pressed bamboo.
a circular version was designed for esterni, to replace their circular ‘social bench’. in this version you have the choice to socialize – or not…
a collaboration with wouter nieuwendijk for esterni, milan.
the sonsbeek bench is basically a tubular leg element, willing to hold any sort of plank that goes through it, without a need for further fastening (although there is an option to screw things together).
a cross between shakers and a beer-garden bench…div. wood, powder coated steel.
the sonsbeek bench was designed for kevin van braak as part of his OXT wood-workshop project in sonsbeek 2016.
another take on the iconic picnic table, this one is sliced and opened. in contrast to its original, the eL-picnic is designed to minimize contact between users, allowing more people in a public space to use the same table. made out of pressed bamboo.
after thirty years of beer drinking practice, i was finally asked to design a bar… or to be more precise a proeflokaal, the tasting room of butcher’s tears, a new brewery in amsterdam.
a simple division of the space, large bar at the back, white tiled walls.
the table/bench, made of rejected steel pipes and bamboo, is the Lego block that enables flexible settings; from one long table to a maximum seated capacity of 50 thirsty on the 50 square meters, thru numerous options in between.
arm lamps that can swivel and follow the different configurations, custom beer bridge, six beers on tap.
the table/bench, made of rejected steel pipes and bamboo, is the Lego block that enables flexible settings; from one long table to a maximum seated capacity of 50 thirsty on the 50 square meters, thru numerous options in between.
for butcher’s tears.
the pipeworks collection(2004-2007) started as a series of tubular furniture, a personal fascination which soon became an obsession. it was a series of experiments in deconstructing the concept of a ‘table’ – separating the ‘top’ from the ‘structure’. standard cantina trays as a loose surface, and a tubular loop as the structure.
we live in a world that is full of hierarchies and artificial scales. if you managed to climb up the ladder, any ladder, you want to maintain your position or climb higher. in a loop there is no hierarchy. every point is as important (or unimportant) as the next one. if you cut it somewhere then the whole thing collapses.
plyworks(2001-2003) is a collection of plywood furniture, yet another attempt to refresh and challenge our lazy perception by reducing material to a minimum, and creating thin ply shells where the skin is also the structure.
The surfaces are curved, for structural reasons, and sometimes twisted- for no reason.
