Dezeen Showroom: The Fenster seating collection by DesignByThem takes cues from traditional crittall windows and sees transparent acrylic offset against a metal frame.

The series, which spans a chair, two bar stools and a low stool, features elegant proportions and long slender legs, powder-coated to a matte black finish.

The seats and backrests are completely clear, leaving the points where they join the metal skeleton exposed and turning them into decorative elements in their own right.

Like the steel window frames first manufactured by British ironmongers in the Victorian era, the designs thrive off the contrast between light and dark, weightless and structured.

To play up acrylic's unique material qualities beyond just being see-through, its edges are left thick and rounded off to refract incoming light.

"We always want to push ourselves to create unique pieces that will surprise and delight people," said designers Sarah Gibson and Nicholas Karlovasitis, who work under the Gibson Karlo moniker as well as running DesignByThem.

"We also wanted to take acrylic, a material that carries many preconceptions, and use it in a way that is welcoming, sophisticated and satisfies all the practical requirements of durable furniture. "

The pared-back design of the pieces allows them to assimilate easily to different environments, both indoors and outdoors.

To facilitate this dual-use, the materials used are waterproof and UV-stable, meaning they don't discolour in the sun.

Photography is by Pete Daly.

Product: Fenster collection
Designer: Gibson Karlo
Brand: DesignByThem
Contact address: [email protected]

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