German designer Verena Hennig has unveiled her first furniture line, which comprises seating made from rotatable aluminium batons (+ slideshow).
Studio Verena Hennig designed the Roll collection to create an engaging and playful experience between the user and the furniture.
The name is derived from the rolling aluminium sticks that form the seats and chair backs, which slide from left to right to massage the sitter.
The collection consists of a stool, bench and chair, which are made from powder-coated aluminium and are manufactured in Italy. Each have an oval-shaped base filled with the aluminium tubes, supported by two curved metal rods that form the legs. The chair has an added oval back.
The products are available in black, white, beige and red. The designer selected these colours to give a range of options – black and white are classic, beige is neutral, and red offers a bolder choice.
They are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
"The furniture line is about interaction with the furniture as well as with other people, especially on the bench," Hennig told Dezeen.
She took inspiration from an installation created earlier this year for the Neues Museum in Nuremberg titled The Line – a 25-metre long bench made out of 80 white air mattresses.
"During the event I witnessed people interacting and playing with the installation as well as with the other visitors," Hennig said. "Strangers started laughing and talking to each other – just because they shared the same experience."
"The installation was only for one evening and I wanted to create a product that creates a similar engaging experience as the installation but for everyday use," she added.
Studio Verena Hennig previously worked with Pernilla Ohrstedt to design the graphics for Glitch Space – a physical representation of the environmental data that will one day be captured by driverless cars.
The installation formed the backdrop for an exhibition about the future of transport design as part of the Dezeen and MINI Frontiers project last year.
Photography is by Tilman Weishart.