When Kristalia asked me to design a new metal seating collection for outdoor use, I immediately thought that expanded metal would be the most interesting technology to explore, as it allows for a product that is both technical and refined.
The seat and legs form the common base to which the backrest with armrests and in the future, also without attaches. It is a vertically stackable chair, thanks to the hole in the backrest design and the path of the rear legs. The enveloping metal sheet, which ensures excellent comfort, has exclusively two-dimensional curves, avoiding the stamping process: this eliminates a step in production, saving investment, time, and energy.
An integral part of the project from the very beginning was the theme of upholstery, approached in an innovative way by simultaneously considering both outdoor and indoor versions. Thanks to padded covers, the bare metal version can be partially covered (seat only) or fully upholstered, creating a version in which the cushions and fabric elements become fully integrated with the frame, no longer appearing as added components. This also enabled the creation of an indoor version with its own formal and identity autonomy, while still based on the same product architecture: same metal frame, same padding, same fabric cuts. In this way, Areo becomes a broad and versatile collection that can move seamlessly, bare or upholste- red, between outdoor and indoor settings.
