Taut rope is all that holds together this furniture by Dutch design graduate Toon Welling.

The criss-crossing lengths of rope take the place of nails and screws for each piece in the Bound Basics collection, which comprises a desk, a chair and a set of shelves.

The furniture is held together by 'tensegrity', a word coined by architect Buckminster Fuller to describe the way components can be joined and supported by continuous tension.

Each piece is assembled from sustainable materials, including hemp rope and FSC-certified plywood.

Welling recently graduated from the product design course at Utrecht School of the Arts (HKU) in the Netherlands.

Photography is by Wouter Stelwagen.

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Here's some more information from the designer:

Bound Basics is a line of furniture entirely held together by rope. Their design was inspired by the sculptural works of Kenneth Snelson and Santiago Calatrava. What is immediately apparent about their sculptures is their underlying structural strategies, their 'tensegrity'. A term coined by Buckminster Fuller, tensegrity is short for tensional integrity. Binding parts in a web of tightened wire or cable, an elegant and stable construct emerges.

Entirely held together by the tensional force of the tautened cord, these structures project a deceptive simplicity and inherent strength. A series of exploratory tensegrity models soon developed into ideas for the Bound Basics, a furniture line that uses ropes instead of nails or screws and investigates the structural advantages of tensegrity.

The designs now collected under the name Bound Basics each attempt to expose the pieces' construction and internal stability. The choice of the materials -- FSC-certified ecological HPL multiplex and hemp rope -- follows the same spirit, foregrounding the design strategy over the flash and glamour of high-tech surfaces.

Ultimately, these Basics are just that, basic furniture pieces modest and elegant enough to fit in homes or offices without being distracting, and instead striking a strong and lasting note of simplicity.