SLAT BENCH
Andreu World International Design Competition
Slat bench was developed on the premise that the built environment should contribute to the aesthetics of the furnishings rather than furnishings solely complementing the built environment. The bench’s minimal form, however, will allow for a crossover into multiple modern and contemporary environments. Simple, subtle details and fabrication methods allow the bench to serve as either a show piece or functional piece.
The impetus for Slat Bench was the notion of a wood floor being peeled up from the ground creating an elevated platform for sitting. A solid, continuous genuflection of the bench top turns down to receive the ground, allowing the exposed wood planes to transition from ground to seat and to ground again. As the legs turn down, they have a narrowing taper and, at the moment before the legs engage the ground, a rounded heel is formed at both sides of the bench. The intermittent slats are recessed slightly to imply a false translucency to the wood finish and to reduce the visual heft of the bench.