Dezeen Magazine

Theca and Steelwood Galva by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Magis

Milan 2013: French brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec will present an aluminium sideboard for Italian furniture brand Magis plus an update to their Steelwood chair in Milan next week.

Theca and Steelwood Galva by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Magis

The Theca sideboard by the Bouroullecs for Magis combines an aluminium body and sliding doors with wooden shelves that bolt to the punched aluminium sides.

Theca and Steelwood Galva by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Magis

The aluminium comes in a black or natural finish and the shelves come in cherry or ash. The sideboard is available in four sizes.

Theca and Steelwood Galva by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Magis

Steelwood Galva updates the brothers' famous Steelwood chair – launched in Milan in 2007 – and matching bar stool (not pictured) with a galvanised steel finish and beech-wood option.

Theca and Steelwood Galva by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Magis

Both products will be shown at the Magis showroom at Corso Garibaldi 77, Milan, between 9 and 14 April.

Theca and Steelwood Galva by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Magis

The Bouroullecs recently launched a DIY curtain kit based around a hanging cord that winds up like a guitar string and last year they designed a set of furniture for Copenhagen University - see all design by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

Other products launching in Milan this year include a wooden chair with legs like ice skates and modular furniture made from Meccano-like perforated steel plates – see all products and news from Milan 2013.

Here's some more information from the designers:


Theca constitutes a logical continuation of our work with Magis and the manufacturing process of metal stamping - a language we had already explored with the Steelwood project. We find fascination in turning a thin sheet of metal into a rigid structural piece with a single considerable punch – but even more are we fascinated by the challenge of creating domestic pleasant objects with a technology usually used for industrial parts.

The very basic typology of the Theca sideboard can be found in all forms, from different eras dating back to the 18th century and with a great appearance in mid century’s Scandinavian design - we tried to find a contemporary yet simple and unobtrusive language.

Theca and Steelwood Galva by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Magis

The body (frame) of the sideboard is composed of stamped aluminium sides and solid wooden shelves, the back and the sliding doors are made of (cut and bent) aluminium. The construction is simple – bolts fix the solid wooden boards to the punched aluminium sides. Two tones are available for the anodized finish of the aluminium parts – black or natural. The shelves come in European cherry tree or black stained ash. Theca exists in four sizes, two different heights (55cm and 78cm) and two different widths (90cm et 120cm). The higher version comes with an additional shelf.

Steelwood Galva is a new version of the Steelwood chair and bar stool in galvanised steel and beech wood.