Strong and pure: Miniforms’ Bice chair is all ears

Pared-down, utilitarian and aesthetically pleasing chairs are always an asset for interior designers. Their neutrality allows them to harmonise with all styles of interior. When slender and stackable, too, they provide practical, space-saving seating.

History shows that functional, lightweight chairs can be very characterful. Italian designer Gio Ponti’s Superleggera chair of 1957 – intended to be portable and take up little space – was a hit in the modern but modestly sized new apartments that sprung up all over postwar Europe. Yet Superleggera took inspiration from traditional chairs hand-crafted in Italy’s coastal town, Chiavari. Danish architect Arne Jacobsen’s Series 7: No 3107 chair of 1955 is another example of a classic design combining simplicity and a distinctive character. It encapsulated the zeitgeist: its user-friendly, streamlined moulded plywood seat echoed other hourglass shapes of the 1950s, such as the wasp-waisted fashions pioneered by Christian Dior. 

A good example of this phenomenon now is the new, solid wood Bice chair, made by Italian furniture company Miniforms, which is understated yet has a strong character. The practical, slimline, stackable seat was designed by multidisciplinary Italian studio e-ggs, whose main goal is to create 'simple, intuitive, timeless products'.

A key characteristic of Bice is its juxtaposition of straight lines and graceful curves. 'The seat is a soft circle made of plywood, moulded with a double curvature that contrasts with the clearly visible X structure of the legs,' explain the team at e-ggs. The main inspiration behind Bice was nature, they say: 'Nature inspired us with soft shapes harmonised with taut lines. The various parts come together in a continuous and fluid line, never a hard one, like thin but sturdy branches of a tree that alternate with light, soft leaves.' The visible woodgrain on Bice emphasises this profound connection with nature.

The chair’s linear components recall the strong forms of bare branches, giving it a 'graphic' quality, as the e-ggs team notes, yet the straight-lined legs and organic, curvaceous backrest are harmoniously fused, creating an overall impression of purity and elegance. The point at which the vertical elements of the backrest meet the supportive legs is gently curved, emphasising this satisfying fusion. 

Perhaps Bice’s subliminal reference to nature chimes with the needs of our time – a desire to reconnect with the outdoors and, simultaneously, to emotionally rebalance through a yearning for familiar and enveloping shapes. 

Its curved, comfortable backrest embraces the sitter’s back ergonomically – and complements the circular form of the soft-looking cushion-like seat. Miniforms compares the backrest to 'flap ears', thereby highlighting its whimsical, playful quality, which gives it more character still. 

Enhancing Bice’s individuality is its availability in four tones: stained black; natural ash; stained walnut and stained oak. Each tone gives the timber a different feel – the mid-tone walnut shade has a mid-century flavour (think 1950s rosewood furniture), while the black hue connotes the Thonet bentwood chairs invented in the 1890s that became a staple of elegant Viennese coffee shops and bistros throughout Europe. 'The chair faintly recalls the archetypal shapes of bistro chairs,' the e-ggs team points out.

Bice creates an overall impression of purity – the result of sound, traditional craftsmanship and a considered, contemporary design satisfyingly marrying curves and straight lines. For architects and interior designers, it appeals for being space-saving, stackable and good-looking, rendering it suitable for a multitude of domestic and commercial environments. It’s easy to visualise Bice having a strong presence in any context – from homes and hotel lobbies to restaurants and cafés.

© Architonic

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