Stockholm 2016: Canadian studio MSDS has unveiled a lighting and furniture range, which includes a chair based on a design that dates back to the 1600s (+ slideshow).
The Source Materials range includes chairs, tables and pendant lights, with each object made entirely from just one material.
MSDS' Ancestor Chair features a wide wooden seat that rests on three legs with slanted bases. Its back includes a curved panel, which is attached to the seat by five wooden slates. To create the chair the studio referenced an early design from the 17th century, which predates the iconic Windsor chair.
"It was spare in its use of parts and connections, and was made of simple component parts," MSDS told Dezeen. "We found the chair contemporary-feeling and succinct, and the homage to it that we designed retains all of its major elements and much of its character."
The collection's pendant lights feature minimal aluminium shades, which have been sand-cast to create a textured surface. Meanwhile, the Ware table lamp features a cylindrical stoneware base and petal-shaped shade that have been slip-cast in one piece.
"The interior volume of the reflector component, derived from pottery forms, showcases the material surface with reflected light and gives the piece a sense of dimension," said the studio.
The collection also includes a trio of tables, which have similar shapes and dimensions but are each made in a different material – aluminium, wood and composite sheet.
The aluminium version rests on an A-shaped frame that features two central slanted legs, while the composite has an upper and lower table top joined together by panels. The wood table similarly has an upper and lower surface, with a pair of shorter and taller legs.
"This collection is a contemporary exploration of material and form executed with a craft sensibility," said the studio, which also designed Shopify's Toronto office, using modular boxes to form meeting rooms.
"The diverse objects are related by the fact that each piece is made of a single material, and is an expression of that material and construction conventions surrounding it," they added.
The collection made its debut as part of the Greenhouse exhibition for emerging talent at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2016, which took place from 9 to 13 February. Other highlights from the fair included chairs by Aalto University students made from black-stained wood and lights designed by Inga Sempé for Wästberg.