Fronda Chair | MC19

SAM: Kim, do you have time to talk about Fronda? Conversation is part of our working process, so let’s discuss how we extended the family from the original stool and chair to include a power-ready table and a new upholstered seat.
KIM: Sure. I seem to remember you having a few thoughts and then challenging me on them. Something to do with how we sit together these days?

SAM: Yes, that’s it. In making the first Fronda stool, we expressed the idea that the majority of comfort comes from the shape of the seat. For Soft Fronda, we use the original metal seat as the foundation for upholstery that is seamless, so there is no visible stitching. This gives an experience of visual softness in interiors, with the fabric seat bridging each side of the wooden structure. Our experiments with form and construction were layered with your thoughts about use...
KIM: Absolutely. Fronda has a unique character in its appearance, but it’s actually informed by how it can be used. Not just how we sit, but why we sit has changed, and for how long. Fronda is a very practical piece for how we might work or eat at a long table, when we also need a place to put something we carry. The chair’s shelf can be used to hold books or a laptop. You see this kind of typology of stool often in education, but Fronda has merit beyond that application. Now that Fronda has a soft seat, it feels more welcome in the home.

SAM: And now a table with power...
KIM: Yes – We wanted to make a table not just for Fronda seating, but for any chair. The table is long and has the option to have accessible power, done simply and beautifully. We wanted to avoid the strange leap that occurs when a graceful table needs to accommodate power – they all appear so technical. Instead, Fronda tables maintain a visual simplicity and quietly give another dimension of performance.

SAM: So in a way, you wanted to avoid compromise?
KIM: Yes, that’s our job, isn’t it? To search for practical solutions that don’t get in the way of enjoying the very reason for the furniture in the first place.