The PK6 and PK7 chair and sofa designed by Brazilian architect Paulo Kobylka are made from industrial metal screens (+ slideshow).
Kobylka created the chairs to expose a material that would usually only be used as a supporting element. Both sofa and armchair feature high backs of diamond-patterned metal mesh, topped with a straight bar.
Sloping armrests are made from loops of tubular steel, and the furniture also rests on steel rods that form legs.
"The design intention transforms industrial profiles and a wired mesh, usually applied as supporting elements, into protagonists of the main stage," said the architect.
Kobylka's PK1 and PK2 sofas similarly questioned the appeal of industrial materials, by featuring long cantilevered cushions designed to resemble large slabs of concrete.
His PK6 and PK7 pieces are handmade, with each trim, weld and fold manually created by a team of artisans. The braided pattern of the mesh has been created using an industrial loom. Foam cushions help alleviate the hardness of the material, with soft tubes also placed over the armrests.
Each piece has been finished in glossy polyurethane paint – often used for cars – in a range of colours, from bright green to red, blue and pink.
Tubular steel also featured in a set of benches designed by Afteroom for Danish brand Menu, with connected tables that branched from the frames on powder-coated steel rods. The studio previously created a set of bar stools, also made from tubular steel frameworks.
The material has also found its way into shelving, been paired with pine and been used to create sculpted backs for a set of chairs.
Photography by Renan Klippel.