2019 Edition

Inspired by the timeless beauty of the classic Bistrot chair, design #1 was born from the earth: the back rest and legs are made from linen composite fibres, harvested and woven in Europe. The bio-based resin we use to make the seat comes from Japan. The metal detailing is recycled brass, made from scrap metal. The starting point for the design was that it had to be circular, so we designed the chair to last and to evolve. We started with the part of the chair that will be damaged the most. A bit like the cane seat in the traditional bistro chair, we’ve made a seat and lumbar support you can replace easily. With a simple twist of an allen key the seat and lumbar support come off. We had to then think of a business model that would incentivise the user to repair rather than replace. If the part becomes damaged, the user sends us the old seat or back rest. In return, they receive a discount on a replacement that will cover the cost of postage. We send them a new seat or backrest and the customer gets a ‘new’ chair. We recover the materials and can put them back into the production cycle. We have also used innovative technique to embed a pattern into the resin. The pattern was designed by New Zealand artist, Leigh Cooper. It tells the story of flax, from the seed to a weave. The pattern increases the scratch resistance of the seat, which increases the lifespan of the part. The design of the chair was a collaborative effort between Alex Guichard, Monique Kelly and Philippe Guichard with the engineering support of Globex Ltd.