Wooden benches: nature meets minimal design
Solid walnut, oak or cedar. Teak, santos rosewood, Oregon pine. The essences are different, as well as the stories that each beam carries with it, through the veins, the circles, the cuts of the wood.
What remains unchanged, however, is the effect of the benches in wood: they speak of a recovered relationship with nature and recall the woods and forests from which they were born. At the same time, through refined and essential design, they know how to fit perfectly into the most modern and minimal environments. The union is between two poles which, instead of opposing, enrich each other, in a mutual exchange of beauty and authenticity.
Table Bench by House of Finn Juhl stands out for its light and elegant design, which has remained unchanged since its launch in 1953. Finn Juhl has provided several variants, all strictly in wood: teak, oak, walnut, Oregon pine or black linoleum. The only exceptions are the brass profiles and the legs, which can be in burnished steel, black, or in the more daring orange or blue.
As its name suggests, Cocktail Bench recalls the splendour and extravagance of the cocktail parties that animated the United States in the 1950s, at the height of the economic boom. Finn Juhl obviously designed it in wood, and in particular in solid walnut or oak. And with an "intricate, detailed design, with wonderfully rounded corners" and gentle curves, to create a timeless aesthetic.
Giovanni Tomasini designs a bench in solid cedar wood for Riva 1920. But stopping here would be an understatement, because Dolmen is a real beam, which does not hide the veins, circles and cuts of the material it is made of. Its shades immediately evoke the nature it comes from, reflecting woods and forests.
The reference to nature continues for Riva 1920 through the echo of its furnishings. Another example is Pure, by Matteo Thun: a bench in solid cedar wood created from a single block. And if on the one hand the reference to the wilderness is worthwhile, on the other Pure knows how to fit perfectly into the most elegant and minimal environments. It succeeds thanks to its extremely essential design.
To talk about Team 7's creations, one cannot ignore its own words: “There are natural beauties not only among people, but also among furniture. It's a tree story. " The Nox bench is no exception, where the beauty of wood is enhanced precisely because it remains in its natural state. Jacob Strobel designed it by combining solidity and comfort, thanks to the padding covered in leather or fabric.
Beam comes from a reclaimed and untreated wood beam. This is why it brings with it ancient stories about what, how and where it was before being handed over to the designer Damien Gernay and to the care of Mogg. They are the ones who added the lead painted metal tops, which add other stories with a new and more modern flavour.
Oblique Bench by Ferm Living succeeds in the great feat of uniting two apparently distant worlds: on the one hand Japan and its woodworking techniques, on the other Scandinavian design and its minimal character. It owes its name to the inclined angles drawn by the elements that support it. In turn, it knows how to elevate the objects placed on it, from books to vases to other accessories.
It stands out for its simplicity, balance and symmetry. Not surprisingly, Groove was born from the design by Piero Lissoni for Porro. The wood only enhances its essentiality, and in particular that of the company's collections: from northern essences such as solid Hemlock wood - natural or black-stained - to the more exotic teak and santos rosewood.
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