A chair of tangible tales
Chair of Textures
Client
Droog / Friedman Benda
Design
Frank Tjepkema
Production
Bruns
Year
2006
Top 100 Dutch Design classic
NederlandsDesign.com
Sculpted Stories in Steel Lace
In the boundary-defying realm of Tjep., where surfaces speak louder than structure, the Chair of Textures emerges as a masterful ode to materiality. Born from the conceptual spark of 2005’s House of Textures—a miniature pavilion that probed texture as architecture—this full-scale chair elevates the idea into a functional icon. Commissioned by Droog Design, it transforms the act of sitting into an encounter with the tactile, weaving a narrative of sensory exploration through laser-cut precision. A collector’s piece now housed in institutions like the Stedelijk Museum, it redefines furniture as a medium for storytelling.
Tactile Tapestry of Craft
Crafted from a single sheet of stainless steel, the chair’s form is a symphony of intricate perforations, each cut meticulously by CNC laser to mimic the tactile diversity of wood grain, woven fabric, rippling water, and rugged stone. These patterns ripple across the seat, backrest, and arms, creating a visual and haptic illusion of layered materials despite the monolithic medium. Polished to a subtle sheen, the steel captures light and shadow, lending the chair an almost liquid quality—static yet alive, inviting touch as much as repose. Its ergonomic curves, softened at the edges, ensure comfort without sacrificing its avant-garde edge.
From Model to Monumental Seat
The Chair of Textures scales up the microcosmic experiments of its predecessor, House of Textures, into a bold, human-sized statement. Its open latticework not only reduces weight but also plays with transparency, allowing glimpses through its structure that evoke architectural facades or delicate filigree. As Frank Tjepkema notes, “This isn’t just a chair; it’s a surface that remembers—etched with the stories of materials it pretends to be.” Produced in limited editions, its fabrication demanded early parametric design tools, cementing Tjep.’s reputation for pushing technological boundaries in pursuit of poetic form.
A chair of Tangible Tales
Beyond its technical prowess, the chair challenges the utilitarian ethos of furniture, asking: what if a seat could feel like a forest, a river, or a loom? Its textured surfaces invite users to linger, tracing patterns with fingers as much as eyes, fostering an intimate dialogue between body and object. Exhibited globally—from Milan’s Salone del Mobile to New York’s ICFF—it has inspired designers to rethink ornamentation as integral, not incidental, to function. Its presence in museum collections underscores its status as a cultural artifact, bridging art and utility.
Droog’s Dance of Dimension
In collaboration with Droog’s irreverent vision, the Chair of Textures stands as a testament to Tjep.’s ability to infuse the everyday with wonder. It’s a seat that doesn’t just support—it provokes, delights, and remembers, offering a tactile odyssey in every curve. In Tjep.’s lexicon, this chair is no mere furniture—it’s a manifesto, etched in steel, that texture is the soul of design.
Visually delicate, yet unyieldingly strong.
The Bronze Age collection showcases meticulously hand-crafted pieces, rooted in traditional techniques that once defined human survival. Each work is a labor-intensive creation, forged from bronze—the material that heralded the dawn of civilization.
“For this project, I sought to counter the technology-driven trends fueled by digital innovations like 3D printing. Bronze, with its inherent value, embodies sustainability: it is either cherished and preserved or melted down and reborn, never discarded. Who knows—some of these pieces might even carry the essence of ancient bronze swords, remelted and reimagined,” says Frank Tjepkema, lead designer and founder of Tjep.
The bronze foundation of this collection evokes stability, strength, and enduring sustainability, as the material can be endlessly recycled. The furniture designs draw on classic forms but are transformed to reflect a modern narrative. The collection boldly engages with contemporary issues, evoking the specter of human-induced crises—such as climate change or nuclear fallout—positioning these pieces as both timeless and urgently relevant.
The result is a series of sculptural works that marry a pure, elegant aesthetic with robust physicality. Do these pieces bear the scars of great calamity, or do they stand as testaments to the enduring power of tradition, like an ancient bronze sword?