bardsley uses wrinkled steel tubes for essenze furniture collection

bardsley uses wrinkled steel tubes for essenze furniture collection
photo © cornelius geraets
all images courtesy of clark bardsley design

imperfections aren’t typically a characteristic that designers like to acknowledge. instead, the common mindset is to make something seamless, smooth, and perfect so it appears as if it has been transported to the present time from the future. but the truth is, by applying an alternative way of thinking, cracks, rips, and scratches can actually inform processes that lead to beautiful creations. influenced by the natural deformations that occur in everyday life, clark bardsley design has developed a range of furniture for new zealand brand essenze by working closely with a tube bending specialist. 

detail of the stool creases
photo © cornelius geraets 

the collaboration has resulted in wrinkled and tangled effects that playfully emphasize the plasticity of steel. to date, the detail has been used in furnishings correspondingly named ‘wrinkle table’ and ‘tangle stool’. the former features a continuous zig-zagging structural system that display the material manipulation on the concave side of each crest. this is completed by a glass or birchwood tabletop depending on the preference of the consumer. meanwhile, the latter repeats the same formal procedure but enhances the stability and aesthetic of the furnishing by an intersection of angled bars below the seat. 

wrinkle coffee table, tangle stool, and cloud light
photo © cornelius geraets

‘modern bending technology creates perfect bends in tubular steel. but steel will naturally crease as it is compressed, so we worked out a way to control and celebrate this in the detailing of the objects’, says bardsley.

the different colors of the stool
photo © cornelius geraets

the stool with wooden legs
photo © cornelius geraets 

white powder-coated legs
photo © cornelius geraets 

wrinkle coffee table with glass top
photo © cornelius geraets

the coffee table lit from above
photo © cornelius geraets 

birchwood version
photo © cornelius geraets

continuous plain supports of the table
photo © cornelius geraets 

tangle stool feet
photo © cornelius geraets 

design process

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