French duo Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec have made a chair for Finnish furniture brand Artek from a metal frame interlaced with a single length of marine rope that forms its back and armrests.

The Rope Chair, which was unveiled as part of the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair, consists of hollow steel tubes with cut outs that allow a piece of cord to be threaded through them in one uninterrupted movement.

Each of the four legs consists of a separate tube, which is connected with the others by weaving the rope from the front leg to the top of the first back leg and over to the second one, before circling back around to the other front leg.

"To our knowledge, rope has never before been given such a structural function within a chair," explained Marianne Goebl, Artek's managing director.

"Our job was to translate this seemingly simple idea into an actual technically sound product."

Far from simply being a decorative element, using a continuous piece of rope means fewer connection points and, in turn, a more robust product.

At the same time this also enables the chair to respond to the shape of its user.

"The rope allows for a more flexible movement of the arm-and backrests," explained Goebl.

"Instead of dictating a specific way of sitting, the Rope Chair invites creativity in posture and changes in position. You can sit up straight, slouch, curl up, throw a leg up the armrest. When you rise, the chair’s frame bears the traces of your body, the imprint of
a user who co-defines its shape."

A plywood seat is colour matched to the rest of the chair.

The matte black version is complimented by rope in the same inky shade, while the light grey iteration features contrasting natural flax fibres.

The Bouroullec brothers also took Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair as an opportunity to showcase a second new Artek release – a wall hook whose twin loops allow it to serve as both functional storage and a decorative ornament.

Among the other seating designs unveiled at the event was an outdoor sofa by Swedish brand Massproductions that pays homage to crowd control barriers, stools that mimic natural rock formation processes and chairs made from repurposed, disused tables.