Furniture designers nowadays are straying from the norm, and impressing us with the most unusual materials. Bye, bye, wood and suede…hello bike chains and sequins! These designers sure know how to turn heads…and in a good way. Instead of throwing out useful materials, why not reuse and recycle them? Using eye-popping choices makes a piece of furniture that much better…who wouldn’t want a one-of-a-kind statement piece? We sure would!
Bike Chain Chandeliers
Can you believe that parts of a bike can be used to make furniture? Wheels can be re-purposed into wall clocks, the bike’s frame into sides of a coffee table, and the chain as a chandelier! Bike chains are the magic behind what bikes a bike run, and interestingly enough, light is a big part of what helps us run properly! Chandeliers add interest to any space, tying the room together and making a luxurious impact. My dream is to have a grand entryway fit with an impressive chandelier that draws guests’ eyes up! Carolina Fontoura Alzaga is an LA multidisciplinary designer who uses unique materials in her furniture design. Yes, we’re talking about bike chains! The cascading piece is beautifully executed, the chains laid in a cohesive pattern.Bike chains are usually heavy, and very masculine, but Carolina made them elegant, creating an impressive chandelier fit for any space.
Bike Chain Chandeliers
Inflatable Steel Chairs
Who would have ever thought that chic and blow-up would ever exist in the same sentence? Polish architect and designer Oskar Zieta did just that! The internationally known designer got his inspiration from lightweight and easily transportable objects, mirroring his furniture design off of these features. Oskar curated blow-up plastic furniture, inflatable steel chairs, to be exact! The steel he uses is welded at the edges, creating a clean-lined design aesthetic. The chairs come flat and require pumping up, a bike pump or air compressor will do! The chairs and couches are available in a variety of bright, fun colors. These seats are perfect for a white kitchen that needs some pops of color…and perfect for the little ones!
Inflatable Steel Chairs
Annie Evelyn
Annie Evelyn’s sweet and equally extraordinary chairs deserve a round of applause. Whether you go for the white and silver sequined chairs, or the colorful flower chair, you have invested in a piece of art that will shock generations to come. In order to create upholstered seating, she tessellates metal into fun patterns and adds both hand-made and freshly cut flowers for dramatic effect. When I first glanced at this chair I could have sworn that the flowers were fake…who knew! Not only is this a comfy spot to lounge, it’s also an air freshener! Annie says, “I use furniture’s inherent interactive qualities and relationship to the human body to create new and surprising experiences”. The flower chair is named ‘Oshibana’ and it is made with silk flowers, foam, and wood…the three ingredients for success!
Annie Evelyn
We commend these three designers for their unique styles of design, as well as their ability and desire to use unconventional materials to produce pieces of art. We wish more designers embraced this boldness, and took risks…how cool furniture design would be!
