Bent Plywood and Danish Inspiration
Intersection Chairs and the Copenhagen Lounger
You are essentially creating a three-dimensional mold, then building a bag that can suck in from all directions so that everything can come together," she says.
The juxtaposition of traditional Danish aesthetic with Treuhaft's interest in modern technology is a glimpse into where her experimentation may take her.
But will there be more formed plywood furniture in her future?
"I would love to work more with compound bends," Treuhaft says. "I almost feel right now that I would want to do more than vacuum bag lamination. I'd really be interested in doing free-form steam bending. It's a new skill I'd like to develop, but I would like to, in the next year, revisit the conversation chairs."
The chairs were made using two curved pieces of Luan bending plywood and beech veneer created with a single mold, then cut to retain the exact same radius. The chairs can be arranged for face-to-face conversations, or side-by-side to create a long bench, indicative of her interest in the social characteristics of furniture use, an interest that led more recently to a study of dynamic and static seating.
"A lot of my time at Michigan was this exploration, this playing, an almost naive approach to chair design," she says. "I just wanted to play with those materials." In the process, having built a real piece of furniture, she developed the confidence to push the envelope.
COPENHAGEN INFLUENCE
Treuhaft had the good fortune to travel widely during her school years, including a two-month sojourn in the studios of the Danish Royal Academy of Art and Design focused on furniture design.
"I just fell in love with it," she says of Denmark's capital city. It's partly due to what she calls "good vibes" but is largely because of the Danish appreciation for quality design in their homes, transportation systems, clothing, and community spaces.
The experience led to the Intersection Chairs project: a pair of conversation benches molded from bent plywood with black walnut seats. Six volunteers were required to bend the eight-foot long piece of three-quarter inch, five-ply Luan plywood.
"It's a huge bend; it's a lot of surface area [and there's a lot of room for things like air bubbling and other bad things to happen]," she says. "It's a really sturdy object even though there's so much surface area."
COMPOUND BENDS AND VACUUM BAGS
"In terms of complexity though, the Copenhagen Lounger is the only one that is a compound bend. Because it's a compound curve, you never really have a surface that you can suck everything down to.
Frequently asked questions
What materials were used to make the Intersection Chairs?+
The Intersection Chairs are a pair of conversation benches molded from bent plywood with black walnut seats, using eight-foot long pieces of three-quarter inch, five-ply Luan plywood. Six volunteers were required to bend the plywood due to its large surface area.
How were Treuhaft's conversation chairs constructed?+
The chairs were made using two curved pieces of Luan bending plywood and beech veneer created with a single mold, then cut to retain the exact same radius. They can be arranged face-to-face for conversation or side-by-side to form a long bench.
Why is the Copenhagen Lounger more complex than Treuhaft's other pieces?+
The Copenhagen Lounger is the only piece that features a compound bend. Because it's a compound curve, there is no single surface to vacuum everything down to, requiring a three-dimensional mold and a bag that can suck in from all directions.
How did Copenhagen influence Treuhaft's furniture design?+
Treuhaft spent two months in the studios of the Danish Royal Academy of Art and Design focused on furniture design, and fell in love with the city. The Danish appreciation for quality design in homes, transportation, clothing, and community spaces inspired her Intersection Chairs project.
What new woodworking techniques does Treuhaft want to explore?+
Treuhaft wants to work more with compound bends and is particularly interested in developing free-form steam bending as a new skill. She also plans to revisit the conversation chairs within the next year.
What is vacuum bag lamination used for in bent plywood furniture?+
Vacuum bag lamination uses a three-dimensional mold and a bag that sucks in from all directions to press laminated plywood layers together. It is the technique Treuhaft has used for her bent plywood pieces, though she is interested in moving beyond it.