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Super Chunky Steam-Bent Barstools and Chairs

The Goma line, designed by architect Thomas Sandell

By Rain Noe - July 14, 2023

in Furniture Design

Originally designed for a restaurant/bar in Stockholm, these Goma barstools and chairs are by architect Thomas Sandell.

Aiming for "a clean and obvious design language," Sandell managed to bend improbably thick sections of birch plywood into a seemingly impossible radius; because our eyes are trained by the Thonet chair to register what is possible in terms of steam-bending, the Goma's elements look wonderfully chunky in contrast.

The companion dining chair looks just as nice to my eye…

…although the armrest version loses me:

I think, with the armrest version, it's the transition from the armrest to the rear leg that bugs me. (To be fair to Sandell, I have no idea how else he could've managed it.)

The Goma line is in production by Nordic brand Made by Choice.

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Martin Žampach

a year ago

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What is actually bent on this chair? Looks like it is milled.

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Einar Blixhavn

a year ago

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Correct, it it milled from plywood. It has the aesthetic of a pre-production prototype, like the real chair would be made from laminated wood. It is chunky, because plywood in this shape is much weaker than bentwood, so it needs to be much thicker.

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