For an explicit name, En-Fer is a good one. The atelier, founded by Swiss designer Stefan Lehner and Christina Lanzos, is only interested in thrown-away steel products like old supermarket carts, worn industrial chains, springs, rings or used tin cans. What for, will you ask. To make new furniture, to make new things from materials that have an history.
Take this spring chair for example. The frame is a classic industrial chair with membrane springs. “Membrane springs are used in condensers which are fixed in a closed oil bath. When the oil temperature changes, the membrane springs have to compensate the volume difference,” is said on the web site. The main advantage: These springs exist was created to support some thousands of movements, and could awesomely support your weight even though they’re thrown away.
Or check this sofa. It’s made from car seats, and should be more comfortable than others. Why? They “are certainly more ergonomic than most of our design chairs, this is specially true for the seats in high standard cars. Now they can be adapted to each person, even be programmed, and some of them have a heating inside.”
But for Stefan Lehner, whose academic background is philosophical studies, and Christina Lanzos, an architect, the core idea of their design is the beauty inside the beast. “Those gears are beautiful, because they weren’t created to be so. An assembling chain has to be solid and efficient, that’s this aspect which make this charm”, they said to Swiss magazine L’Hebdo.
But something told us that you will be the first to add a comment to this story. Simply click on the button 'Add your comment' to start expressing your opinion.