3 new chair collections take the abstract route

For such an elemental piece of furniture, the chair seems to inspire new design interpretations every week. Not that we’re complaining, of course. Besides being functional, the chair as objet is lovely to behold.

Here are three new collections that take the simple concept of a chair and render it in abstract metal forms that push the boundaries of what a chair can be.

1. Bob the Bench from Kevin Hviid

The first interpretation comes from Copenhagen-based architect and designer Kevin Hviid. Bob the Bench is a graphic piece of furniture that from the front looks more like a vibrant sunset than a seating object: constructed with rectangular and circular steel pipes painted in black and white and bold primary colors, the bench’s back rest and overhanging seat form a perfect circle. A profile view reveals its traditional silhouette. Bob the Bench is currently on display at the Reform Design Biennale in Copenhagen.

All photos by Hans H. Baerholm via Designboom

2. Lounge chairs and daybeds by Muller van Severen

The next collection is fashioned from stainless steel wire netting and looks straight out of virtual reality. Designed by Belgian design studio Muller van Severen for a circular house in Spain by Belgian studio Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen, the hollow, shell-like lounge chairs and daybeds are curled up "like a mattress or a sheet of paper,” and can rock back and forth. They are available in several configurations and white, green, red, or natural hues.

Photos via Dezeen

3. The Connesso Chair by Caroline Erikkson

The third design comes from recent design graduate Caroline Erikkson and is a mysterious wisp of a chair. The hyper minimalist, all-white, asymmetric Connesso recalls Le Corbusier, and features an exaggeratedly curved arm rest on one side that snakes around to form the back support and a straight support on the other side. The square seat appears to hover over the legs that slope in the back and shoot straight down in the front.

Photos via of Design Milk

• kevin hviid symbolizes the perfection and value of togetherness with bob the bench [Designboom]
• Muller van Severen designs rocking wire daybeds for Spanish summer house [Dezeen]
• A Chair With Hidden Meanings [Design Milk]
• 3 New Furniture Collections Weave New Technology Into Cool Designs [Curbed]