Still Life Chair by Marcel Sigel

Marcel Sigel Designs All-Wood Chair Still Life for Blå Station

Still Life is a chair designed by Marcel Sigel for Blå Station, presented at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2020.

The piece is constructed entirely in wood, with the defining feature being an iconic twist applied to the backrest.

The backrest is bent to the extremes at both ends using ash-veneered birch — a technically demanding process that results in a form that appears to flow with the fluidity of cloth rather than the rigidity associated with bent wood construction.

The visual effect is that of a strip of material caught mid-movement and held in place — a quality that gives the chair its name. The contrast between the inherent stiffness of the material and the organic, almost textile-like character of the finished form is the central design proposition of Still Life.

Marcel Sigel is a designer whose work for Blå Station has contributed to the company’s sustained interest in exploring the boundaries of wood bending and material expression in seating design.

Blå Station is a Swedish furniture manufacturer based in Åhus, founded in 1986 by Stefan Borselius and Thomas Bernstrand, and led since its founding by Borselius. The company works with a roster of Swedish and international designers and has built a catalogue defined by experimentation with wood construction, upholstery, and seating geometry. Other Blå Station chairs presented at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2020 included Park+, Bobby, Combo, Miss Åhus, and Pinzo table.