Cascade and Contour by Bodo Sperlein

London-based designer Bodo Sperlein unveiled a new collection of furniture and lighting during the London Design Festival 2009, showcased at both Tent London and SuperSquat, Brunswick House. The collection includes a chandelier named Cascade and a table and chair set called the Contour collection. This presentation highlights Sperlein's continued exploration of materials and forms in his designs. The Cascade chandelier is crafted from chrome-plated steel tubes, drawing its aesthetic inspiration from the whimsical and dynamic nature of water fountains. The design emphasizes a visually striking and playful form, with its highly polished surface engineered to reflect light and images, similar to water itself. The chandelier achieves a dramatic focal point through the rhythmic assembly of simple forms, referencing the constructivist art movement of the 1920s. Sperlein's choice of steel for this piece underscores his fascination with the material's inherent strength and malleability, while also acknowledging England’s historical proficiency in steel manufacturing. The chandelier incorporates modern LED light techniques to emit warm tones, a departure from the typically cold light associated with traditional LEDs, thus adding a unique character to the illumination. The Contour table and chair constitute a capsule furniture collection that embodies Sperlein’s characteristic style of sensual and curvaceous forms, applied on a larger scale. The chair, designed to appear as a single sculpted sheet, presents a simple yet elegant aesthetic. Its ribbon-like profile guides the eye along a series of loops, culminating in slender legs that subtly mask their structural integrity. The design process for the Contour collection involved an experimental approach, with Sperlein initially twisting a single sheet of paper to conceptualize the forms, showcasing an innovative method for developing furniture shapes. Similarly, the Contour table reimagines traditional table lines, elongating them and enhancing them with gentle curves. Concaved sections are integrated into the design, creating an interplay with negative space that lends the table a sense of ‘lightness,’ a quality that contrasts with the inherent weight and solidity of the hardwood material from which it is constructed. Both the table and chair are available in a variety of colors, offering versatility in their application within different interior schemes. The exhibition of these pieces at Tent London and SuperSquat provided attendees of the London Design Festival with an opportunity to engage with Sperlein's latest work. His previous works, such as the Ascot Collection for Lladró, Eclipse Mirror, and other chandeliers for Lladró, demonstrate a consistent artistic vision and an ongoing commitment to exploring diverse materials and sophisticated designs in both furniture and lighting. This new collection further solidifies his reputation for creating distinctive and artful pieces that merge functionality with sculptural beauty, pushing the boundaries of contemporary design. #LondonDesignFestival #BodoSperlein #FurnitureDesign #LightingDesign #Chandelier #ChairDesign #TableDesign #TentLondon #HardwoodFurniture #LondonDesignFestival #BodoSperlein #FurnitureDesign #LightingDesign #Chandelier #ChairDesign #TableDesign #TentLondon #HardwoodFurniture

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