The Arba Lounge Chair by Erwan Bouroullec for Raawii made its UK launch during London Design Festival at SCP. This marks Bouroullec's first design with the Danish furniture and accessories brand. In its clarity, the composition communicates directly with the user. The chair has nothing to hide, yet it surprises us once we sit there.
Arba is a simple, refined composition of moulded plywood elements, a cross-like structure of bent metal and an aluminium base. The seat and back are perfectly shaped and positioned, the spine adds dynamic movement typical of sheet metal, and the base adds a pleasant swivel function. The chair maintains the formal purity of an experimental prototype while being a well-thought-out and precisely made industrial product. It comes in a variety of finishes including plywood, fabric or leather.
The Arba ottoman is the perfect companion to the Lounge Chair. It it comprised of a single piece of moulded plywoood and a die-cast aluminium base. Just like the Lounge Chair, the Arba ottoman comes in a flat box and can be mounted and used with a few simple actions.
During London Design Festival we welcomed Erwan Bouroullec for a talk with Duncan Riches. In this conversation Bouroullec discusses the development of the Arba chair.
"I think one of the key practices in the world right now is trying to make sure that we practice in the perimeter where we are enjoyed, that we practice in the perimeter where we can be effective."
Erwan Bouroullec
The chair moved quickly from idea to prototype. The first prototype was ready in six months, and it was shown to the public two months later. This was done by using the resources on hand, rather than embarking on complex engineering processes. This approach promotes a certain “positive roughness” in design—things are simple, functional, and easy to understand.
Where do you go to reflect?
Erwan Bouroullec
"A mirror"
What is the most important thing that you've learned?
Erwan Bouroullec
"Stitching. Yes, stitching is a wonderful thing to learn."
What does good design mean to you now?
Erwan Bouroullec
"Probably a mistake."
In the talk he discussed his approach to decision making. One way is to narrow down the decision to something incredibly practical. In that context, even though you’re being creative, it doesn’t mean the decision is pre-determined.
Bouroullec uses as an example when he was talking with Nicholai, co-founder of Raawii. They were discussing things like packaging and the size of the product. Often, the weight and size are determined by practical concerns like the size of the pallet. These things are focused on because in reality, they are not producing millions of units—so the pallet size becomes important for practical reasons. This thinking is part of Nikolai’s background because he worked at IKEA about 20 years ago. His experience in mass production shaped his tools and thought processes.
What is the one thing that every workspace needs?
Erwan Bouroullec
"A dog."
