Sight Unseen OFFSITE 2018
Norway x New York
Henrik Ø x Kin & Company

The beginning
The concept of an ambiguous object that was simultaneously stair and chair came to us quite naturally. Both Kin & Company and Henrik Ødegaard had already developed sketches for an object that leaned or rested against a wall and provided both seating and a stepped display. The design evolved to incorporate the playful lines and forms from Henrik’s side tables and the “Thin Series” from Kin & Company. Folded metal stood out early on in the process because of Kin & Company’s familiarity with the material.

First steps
People walk on stairs, put things on them, sit on them, read, sleep, and eat and on them. The variety of function within a set of several steps lead us to the chair. A chair is, in a way, the opposite of a stair. Made for sitting but often used as a step – an easy way to reach just a little higher. We ended up with a juxtaposition of two seemingly disparate objects. A stair as a chair or a chair as a stair.

Stepping up
From the beginning we both had a fascination with perforations. Perforations can be used to reduce the weight of metal, especially in car racing, and offer a visual lightness as well. When considering how to integrate holes in a folded plate, we discovered the pipe and the tube as an element. The holes became the start or the end of a leg or structural element. The plate, like a magic flying carpet, floats on top of vertical structure. The curved handrails encourage the user to walk alongside the object, or rest for a moment as they pass by.


Landing
The finished product...