Re- strung

A simple cord becomes a complex shape, a line circumscribes a space – furniture and lamps with laced seats or lampshades originated in the nineteen-fifties, and today some of these constructivist pieces have attained cult status.
Thanks to the designs of the Danish designers Poul Kjærholm and Hans Wegner Scandinavia was the hub of international design operations at the time, together with Italy and the USA, producing a range of classics made of wood, steel and cord which document the experimentation made with this inherently delicate material.

In the last few years string furniture has been making a successful comeback. With more adventurous colours and greater geometrical complexity the tightly stretched seats and braided lampshades have once more found a place for themselves in the design world. The stylishly strung work of the American designer Kevin McCarthy reveals his twenty years' experience in the fashion industry and his intensive work with textiles. However, it was more of an amusing coincidence which was responsible for his involvement in lighting design: when he fell over a Fifties string lampshade on a New York sidewalk in 2003 he was kissed by the muse and found the inspiration for an entire collection of filigree, elaborately interwoven lamps.

At this year's Salone del Mobile in Milan premium manufacturers such as Moroso and Zanotta also presented a range of furniture with strung seating. In contrast to its often very functional predecessors, the use of high-quality strips of leather has enabled Patricia Urquiola to design a stylish-looking indoor variant.
With the string version of the Club series by Zanotta the Italian designer Prospero Rasulo has extended the string furniture principle by re-creating an integrated large-scale form. The visual volume of the armchair and the sofa is shaped in the typical silhouette of their upholstered predecessors by stretching PVC cables reinforced by nylon over a steel frame.

In our special presentation on the 'Comeback of spaghetti furniture' we have put together a range of string classics and new designs for you.