pipedreams
Pipedreams is a series of chairs crafted from upcycled industrial pipe.
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Pipedreams evolved out of a fascination with industrial building materials and industrial waste. These building materials that have been so meticulously engineered and produced, so willingly tossed aside when no longer fit for purpose? This series has been an exercise in understanding the materials that we take for granted, and trying to return value to industrial infrastructural waste.
These two forms were some of the first to result from material explorations, their curves resulting from their material and its behaviour under stress. Each chair is an example of how a simple and ubiquitous industrial form, galvanised steel pipe, can be twisted and then polished into a beautiful design object.
' S-pipe ' is the first in the series. It has some clear parallels with the Panton chair, but offers a contemporary style and ideology. The S-chair uses a 3 dimensional tube for a starting point rather than a flat plane, and benefits from sustainability in its material choice.
' M - Pipe ' is the next in the series, taking the form most clearly defined by the material and process, discovered through many iterations of bending and pressing.
Design Process
I experimented with a variety of techniques during the design process for the pressing and bending of the pipe itself, ranging from gradually rolling it flat, to pressing with a hydraulic press, and hammering creases out. I had hoped to use zinc passivation as a surface finish, to lean into the feeling of industrial tooling given by the chairs, but ultimately polishing gave a desirable finish giving value to the otherwise tarnished galvanised steel.
