Why Didn't I Thought of That?: Pressed Chair

A design classic is born. London designer Harry Thaler just won first place in the [D3] Contest, a design competition for young designers, with his design aptly named Pressed Chair.

The chair is made from a 2.5mm-thick aluminium sheet with a relief pressed into the surface, which provides structural strength once the legs are bent into place.

Here's the word of the designer himself:


Pressed Chair is a pressed aluminium chair which has been bent into shape to form a super-light, stackable chair.


I wanted to create an elegant and simple chair from a single sheet of 2.5mm aluminium. By pressing structural elements into the 2 dimensional sheet, I was able to make a chair that pushes the limits of minimization and material. The chair, which is light enough to be lifted with only two fingers, is extremely strong without any external structural support. Instead decorative features pressed into the sheet provide the required strength once the chair is bent into shape.

As part of my aim to minimize everything, I have also created a stool from the areas of scrap surrounding the chair when it is being cut. The stool, unlike the chair, is not made from 1 piece, but three. It is held together by screws.

Now that's what we call aluminum roadkill!