Cajal sofas and armchair by Gunilla Allard balance seats on thin metal frames
Stockholm 2014: Swedish designer Gunilla Allard's Cajal sofas and armchairs feature slender tubular steel frames that support chunky upholstered seats (+ slideshow).
Allard designed the collection for Swedish furniture brand Lammhults, and said the line of steel that forms the frame was influenced by a cosmetic called kajal (or kohl) which is often used as an eyeliner.
"My process began with the small sofa," said Allard. "A petite sofa with a visible tube frame that wraps around the back like the stroke of a pen, or why not a kajal pencil?"
Lammhults asked Allard to design a collection that was "slender, contemporary and restful", and particularly suited to use in offices, restaurants or waiting rooms.
The resulting pieces are developed around the minimal steel frame, which follows the shape of the armrests and back and can be specified in colours that complement or contrast with the upholstery.
Its slim profile provides a visually lightweight base for the seat, which seems to balance on slanting rods that connect the back legs to a bar running along the front of the frame.
The shell of the seat is made from glass-fibre reinforced polyurethane covered in foam that can be upholstered in fabric or leather.
The range comprises an easy chair and a sofa in large and small variations. The armchair and large sofa feature a deeper seat cushion than the less imposing small sofa.
Lammhults launched the Cajal collection at the Stockholm Furniture Fair earlier this month.
