design et al are delighted to announce that Harow have been shortlisted for the Chair Award in The Product Design Categories within The International Design and Architecture Awards 2017
The Sputnik chair takes direct inspiration from the satellite of the same name. The main criteria for this piece was to create a simple, effective and timeless design. The Sputnik chair is direct in its aspect with a straight to the point design.
The minimalism of the materials focuses on the perfect union of functionality and aesthetics. Made out of hand-cast aluminium and steel, the chair demonstrates how basic materials can be used with elegance. Besides the political aspect and the race to space, the only function of the Sputnik satellite was to send “bips” to the earth. The Sputnik chair was created with the same leitmotiv and all the superfluous were set aside.
Its four asymmetric feet were directly inspired from the satellite antenna and ensure a flawless contact with the ground. As simple as it looks, the chair is a real technical challenge in its making. The main difficulty was to find the perfect blend between elegance and robustness. With a diameter of 58 cm the Sputnik chair uses the exact same dimensions as the satellite for the aluminium seating. The asymmetric in-curved feet are made out of steel to ensure a flawless solidity. The use of the steel to create the in-curved feet of the chair represents a real technical skill. The design works well due to its simplicity that can engage with different environments, even though it inspires a specific universe.