this bright yellow loopy chair by nik bentel is made from common tubular bike racks

finalizing his series of collectible squiggle designs, nik bentel unveils the loopy chair, made out of painted tubular steel which is typically used to create common bike racks. adopting a bright yellow look, the newly introduced chair allows for a novel construction using the common formal language of the bike rack, while not having to create excess equipment for manufacturing.

all images courtesy of nik bentel

during the design phase, nik bentel was limited by the kind of bend radiuses that a bike rack typically has. the chair had to be designed using only two different radiuses: one radius at 9” and the other at 18”. this kind of restriction led the design to be a marriage of manufacturability and usability. as a result, the loopy chair is made out of a 3” diameter tube bent in a hydraulic tube bender. 

‘by reimagining how we make things, designers can create original products that have yet to be seen. the prime example being the loopy chair.’ says nik bentel. ‘there is untapped potential in manufacturing processes everywhere. the goal is to one day apply this design methodology in order to create other usable objects, from chairs and tables, to larger pieces of furniture including sofas and beds.’ he adds. 

project info:

name: the loopy chair
designer: nik bentel

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom