Dutch designer and artist Sabine Marcelis, known for her surreal installations and furnishings, has developed a signature aesthetic that evokes a futuristic serenity. With her first-ever chair commissioned by the Stedelijk Museum, the designer has translated these sensibilities into a seamless, lightweight design that utilizes just one material: 100% aluminum.
Marcelis' gift of translating solid materials into soft forums and manipulating light as if it were a tangible ingredient are expressed prominently in impressive pieces like her onyx fountain at Amsterdam's Vondelpark or her rotating mirrored plinths outside the High Museum of Art. In the Stedelijk Chair, these qualities are refined into a simplistic everyday design for the public.
The aluminum structure has an especially fluid quality that imbues the material with a pliable visual effect. The uninterrupted aluminum surface offers a diffused reflection of its surroundings, that moves effortlessly through its curved seat. The rectangular legs provide sharp contrast to the smooth focal points, but still blend seamlessly into the backrest.
Functionality and timelessness were key to the design since the museum commissioned the piece for its renovated entrance area, which was recently opened to the public this Fall. Designed with a stackable structure in both a bar height and a table height, the chairs can easily be moved through the space for a variety of purposes.
Sabine Marcelis' Stedelijk Chair is available for purchase now at the BD Barcelona's web store.