matthew strong weaves carbon fiber eames sofa

matthew strong weaves carbon fiber eames sofa

the eames fiberglass shell armchair of the late 1950s went through a number of changes in term of its form and thickness, in order that its supporting strength was increased. however, the final model of the shell was almost 3/4 of an inch thick, making it impractical and difficult to move. at that point, it was abandoned, and only one upholstered model was ever completed. extensively researching the historical and theoretical relationships between furniture and architecture at the henry ford museum, cranbrook academy of art and MoMA archives, matthew strong offers a design that re-imagines the original eames prototype through a combination of modern materials and traditional craft techniques. 

the ‘carbon fibre eames sofa’ envisions the original chair as a visually and physically lightweight object

the american creative has realized the ‘carbon fiber eames sofa’ in 12k carbon fibre that has been hand woven in a traditional chair caning pattern. the resulting structure is lightweight but still robust, as a result of the designer employing modified intertwined filaments to give it strength, while also assisting with cross-bond adhesion.

profile

in the spirit of the eames’ design philosophy, the transparency of strong’s design, bares its own construction methodology, and allows visual access across every part of the sofa that gives it an aesthetic coherence.
the sofa has been hand-woven in 12k carbon fibre

up close look at the hand-woven chair caning pattern

3/4 back view

detail of the seat shell and supporting legs