Irish architect and designer Andrew Clancy in collaboration with shipwright Matthew O’Malley have created the Carvel Chair, employing traditional Irish boat construction techniques, which is predominate along the west coast of Ireland. The chair is designed for the renowned Irish brand Déanta to revive an Irish tradition in form of contemporary furniture.
Keeping the old culture in mind, the material chosen to integrate the chair is also traditional Irish larch. The larch was wind-felled and air seasoned for two years before being hand-shaped into planks, steam bent and bound together with copper rivets.
By imitating the boat building technique, the structure of the chair has become lightweight, strong and flexible. The wooden planks of the chair are so flexible that it moves with the user to increase the comfort of the seat. Wooden seat of the chair cradles on a bent steel base to accommodate movement of the user. Thus, bent seating area of the chair offers extra comfort to the user- as if sitting on a comfy couch.
Clancy has proven that best things often come in the simplest design forms. Carvel Chair was recently showcased at the London Design Festival as part of the Design & Crafts Council exhibition. There is only one prototype of the chair as of now, but it will be available commercially for the consumers in January 2015.
See the video and images given below to find out more about the construction of the Carvel Chair prototype:
Made using traditional Irish boat construction techniques
Bent steel base accommodates movement of the user
Construction material: Traditional and Irish larch
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