My conceptual process begins with Line and texture. Both of these elements are most visible in the Spider Collection. My original idea for the Spider Collection was to use half inch square bar steel in parallel lines which are bisected by perpendicular lines, all equally spaced 4 inches apart. I decided that it would add a lot of interest if these lines were carried to the floor and therefore created a multiple leg arrangement for each piece of furniture.
I am definitely am not the first designer to use more than 4 legs on a piece of furniture. Gaetano Pesce uses multiple legs in his Green Street Chair made of resin and metal chairs. Gaetano Pesce was the first designer that I was aware that used a multiple leg arrangement. Then I discovered that in the late 1970s to the mid 1980s Wendell Castle used a multiple leg arrangement in one of his collections which includes the Alter Desk. These designs were definite influences in my designing of the Spider Collection.
Also influencing the Spider Chair and Sofa is the work by Brazilian furniture designer, Jorge Zalszupin and the work of brutalist Paul Evans. The particular piece that influenced my designs by Zalszupin was his Skeleton Back Sofa. What intrigues me about this sofa is the vertical parallel linework which is achieved in Brazilian Rosewood and the ability of this sofa to be ascetically pleasing from any angle it is viewed from. Paul Evans completed (most likely a one-of-a-kind) a sofa which is made of bronze and has the same characteristics of Zalszupinandrsquo;s Skeleton Back Sofa in that it is Aesthetically pleasing from all angles. It would actually be unfortunate to display either of these particular sofas with its back to the wall as the back of the sofa is one of the most interesting aspects of the design.
I definitely wanted to use a fabric in my Spider Sofa that was both incredibly interesting and unique as well as complemented the metal work of the sofa. I chose the Unzipped Fabric which features recycled zippers and silk ties from over-runs from fabric factories. A particular aspect of the fabric that I am intrigued about is its ability to animate the Spider Sofa even further because the texture of the fabric is reminiscent of a Wolf Spider which carries its baby spiders on its back (I know itandrsquo;s a bit creepy). Whatever the reason you may like or dislike the Spider Collection, I hope this gives you a little bit more insight on how I was able to conceptualize the original design.