MILAN 2015: ARIK LEVY PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF WOOD-BENDING WITH SPLIT CHAIR

A new collection for Ton that will be presented at iSaloni 2015

Admittedly, what first caught our eye in Paris-based designer Arik Levy’s Split collection was the super trendy color gradient. Perfectly at home in textiles, it’s less common to see a color gradient on wood and Levy’s choice of nature-inspired shades is visually engaging. Designed for Czech manufacturer TON, Levy created the gradient for the standard chair using a spray stain that becomes lighter in the center. However, the true genius of these chairs lies on their fabrication.

Less noticeable but more impressive, the Split chair rests upon four split wood legs. Each leg is made from one solid piece of wood that is split in two and bent, which was a technological feat not yet accomplished by Czech manufacturer TON in its century and a half of wood-bending experience. Of course, manual wood-bending has existed for more than 150 years and uses steam or boiling liquids to form rigid wood into soft round curves, however, with Split, Arik Levy and the ultra-skilled craftsmen at TON truly took the technique one step further.

Levy elaborated, stating, “To take the past and bring it to the future was my initial idea. All the products from this family were born from just one idea, the idea of bending – not in the way it is usually used, but to give it a new shape. In this case, the wood is divided into two parts and each part is bent in a different direction. It is a new experience for me, the TON Company and the product itself.”

The collection includes a chair, a barstool, an armchair and a lounge armchair all of which will be presented in Milan at the Salone del Mobile (Hall 12 Stand C05) from April 14th to 19th.