Whether it’s chosen for executive offices, lounges or homes: Wilkhahn’s PrintStool One’s special appeal comes to the fore in all sorts of different backdrops. Thorsten Franck’s design has now also impressed the judges of the bdia ausgesucht! competition held by the Association of German Interior Designers (bdia). PrintStool One came first among 45 submissions from 29 members of the sponsors association.
“It was difficult to choose because of the variety of objects, materials and products submitted. In the end, we felt well-informed and inspired,” said the bdia’s executive committee after the judges’ meeting.
Alongside the design, the judges were especially enthusiastic about the PrintStool One’s modern manufacturing method. Wilkhahn joined forces with designer Thorsten Franck to explore the possibilities offered by 3D printing as a material-efficient production method of the future. This includes the special, three-dimensional surface texture with its textile look, which is only possible with this method in the first place. The stool, weighing approximately just 1000 grams, is formed layer by layer millimetre by millimetre in eight to twelve hours. It’s made of fully biodegradable printing material based on the natural polymer lignin. In contrast to the 3D-printed, single-shell hyperboloid, the seat is upholstered painstakingly by hand and covered with the finest vegetable-tanned leather. The seat and base weigh 4.6 and 5.2 kg respectively.
bdia president and member of the judging panel Vera Schmitz puts it in a nutshell: “It’s a simple and contemporary seat. It can be custom-configured and is available everywhere. Perhaps people could even produce it themselves? It’s printed from renewable and biodegradable materials. This piece of furniture is an expression of the technology of the future and sustainability with a refreshing look.”
PrintStool One opens a new chapter in furniture history. The limited edition of 500 is available in two seating heights, five patterns (origami, cube, wave, sine, pyramid) and six colours and three leather colours. Each model is supplied with a numbered certificate.
These are the winners of the bdia ausgesucht! competition 2017: bdia.de/bdia-ausgesucht-2017
The film shows how PrintStool One is made via a 3D-printing process: The beauty of the process
