Contemporary yes, modern sure, sustainable indeed, but above all these furniture designs are just plain
cool. Designers often say that limitations can be liberating, and this is a wonderful example of that principle in action – by working largely within the realm of steel, aluminum and rubber bike handlebars, frames, rims and wheels, Andy Gregg has created a unique variety of recycled furniture rare even in more the most conventional materials.
Works like the dizzyingly dynamic Vector Chair shown above show how much design potential exists in just a few key parts – the looping rims seem to float in space, old spokes splay out thin and elegant from the center, reused rubber wheels provide arm padding and a few accent cushions complete the piece.
While he uses bicycle parts at the core of every piece – creating visual connections between stools, chairs, tables and more – the designs naturally have to use other pieces and parts in some cases. When this is the case, however, similar strategies and used transportation industry materials are employed to make each artifact as cohesive as possible such as seat-belt webbing and automobile windows.
Influenced by classic Modernism (and clearly informed by Minimalist tendencies), these wonderful works of artistic furniture clearly also carve their own niche – not only through their use of transportation materials but also by their unique emphasis on circular movement, a kind of contextual byproduct of the process. Andy himself was (perhaps unsurprisingly) inspired by his own years spent on bikes and in bike shops. For more about him and his amazing work check out his site at Bike Furniture.
