govert flint's SPRING chair opens up from two flat-packed sheets of metal

Govert Flint completes his investigations into form, shape, and sustainability for the European Commission, looking at how furniture design can be redefined for a circular economy. The development process began with questioning: ‘How do you design an office chair without glue or staples? And how can the variety of materials be minimized?’ Various strategies were then devised and tested, resulting in three new designs, including the SPRING chair. Intricately sculpted, the furniture object is born from a single material — two sheets of steel that are flat-packed, transported to the end-user, and assembled into a form that resembles tessellated patterns and coils of spring. The work was also exhibited at this year’s Dutch Design Week, which took place from 19th to 27th October in Eindhoven.

all images courtesy of Govert Flint

Over the course of 1.5 years, Govert Flint from Rotterdam-based studio Enrichers experimented with several models to explore how with a pattern of cuts a chair can be modeled from two sheets of stainless steel. When the SPRING chair is ordered, the sheets are sent flat-packed to each customer. They can then assemble a functional seat from these sheets by pulling them into their final configuration. Further, to stimulate sports and movement, Flint collaborated with a kite surfer to explore if the sheets can be extruded using a kite. In this way, the chair is positioned as a personalized process, allowing people to use their hobbies to produce objects for their space, making it not only sustainable to flat-pack chairs, but also a fun experience to receive them.

The SPRING chair is produced as part of Better Factory, a program by the European Commission. Design studio Enrichers also worked alongside furniture manufacturer Antares Romania to develop strategies to look into how furniture manufacturers can make their portfolio’s ready for circular economy.

Govert Flint completes the SPRING chair

looking at how furniture design can be redefined for a circular economy

its form resembles tessellated patterns and coils of spring

the furniture object is born from two sheets of steel

exhibited at this year’s Dutch Design Week

an intricate form

made from from a single material

Flint collaborated with a kite surfer to explore if the sheets can be extruded using a kite

project info:

name: SPRING designer: Govert Flint of Enrichers

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom