bamboo windsor chair by bo reudler from netherlands

the bamboo windsor chair is designed by product designer bo reudler and bamboo-architect olav bruin.

while bamboo is among our most sustainable renewable resources, the reputation of bamboo furniture does not often match the wondrous qualities of the material.

the bamboo windsor is a contemporary interpretation of the windsor chair, an iconic design overwhelmingly popular in great britain and the united states for centuries.

this chair is made using the local thai bamboo pai sang (dendrocalamus strictus), a bamboo revered for its strength and solid structure, in combination with bamboo plywood and rattan. due to the natural forms of each bamboo stem, every chair will look unique, despite being constructed in the same way. a coating of natural paint (red, black and white) continues the tradition of painting windsor chairs alongside referencing eastern lacquered furniture.

in this design, east and west are united through the western aesthetics of the chair reinterpreted with thai craftsmanship and materials.

materials and production
the bamboo windsor chair is made from dendrocalamus strictus bamboo stalks, bamboo plywood and rattan. 

the bow (in the back-rest) is made from bent rattan. the spindles as well as the legs, middle and side stretchers are made from dendrocalamus strictus bamboo stalks. the whole chair is constructed using mortise-and-tenon joints like commonly used in bamboo furniture. 

the seat is made from 4 cm thick bamboo plywood and consist of two parts glued together at an angle, enabling greater comfort. the shape of the seat references the sculpted classical windsor seat. 

in order to elevate the material and aesthetic, the entire chair will be coated with coloured lacquer based on a sustainable natural oil. to enable the paint to coat the bamboo stalks, the smooth top layer needs to first be removed by sanding or sandblasting. this technique was developed for an earlier collection made from bamboo and works well. the proposed colours for the coating are black, white and red referencing the colours traditionally used to paint windsor chairs. 

bo reudler studio is a product and interior design studio based in amsterdam. the design team is led by product designer bo reudler. the studio designs and realises products (furniture and objects) and interiors commissioned by private clients, cultural institutions and companies. alongside, the studio initiates and self-produces furniture collections in limited editions. materials and narrative always form the starting point of each project. inspired by the processes of nature, the studio specializes in experimenting with the inherent qualities of natural building materials in combination with new and traditional fabrication techniques to transform mass standard products into unlimited unique objects.

olav bruin is currently an architect at leading dutch architectural practice 24h. his thinking explores architecture as a sensitive organism in the landscape, focusing on local materials and respecting natural conditions. for the bamboo windsor chair, olav brings his experience from working as a bamboo-architect in thailand for the children's play den at the soneva kiri resort, where the amorphous structure was constructed entirely out of bamboo and rattan by local craftsmen.