Dezeen Magazine

Carbon Balloon Chair by Marcel Wanders

Marcel Wanders wraps balloons in carbon fibre to create lightweight chair

Dutch designer Marcel Wanders has created an ultra-lightweight carbon fibre chair formed around party balloons.

Carbon Balloon Chair by Marcel Wanders

The Carbon Balloon Chair made its European debut at the opening of Marcel Wanders' retrospective exhibition at Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum, which opened last week.

Carbon Balloon Chair by Marcel Wanders

Weighing just 800 grams, the chair is handmade from party balloons filled with compressed air. The balloons are then wrapped in strips of carbon fibre and hardened with epoxy resin.

Carbon Balloon Chair by Marcel Wanders

The netting for the seat is made from a grid of carbon fibre that is also hardened with resin.

Carbon Balloon Chair by Marcel Wanders

"[The Carbon Balloon Chair] was conceived by Marcel as a challenge to all designers to create the world's lightest chair," said the studio. "Working with carbon is favoured by Marcel for its weight minimization possibilities. The chair requires fewer materials, generates less waste and is highly durable."

Carbon Balloon Chair by Marcel Wanders

The balloons are clearly visible in the design, which is reminiscent of the designer's breakthrough Knotted Chair, for which Wanders used epoxy resin to harden macramé thread used for the frame.

The Knotted Chair was a lightweight design, also hardened with resin, that marked Wanders' international breakthrough in 1996
The Knotted Chair was a lightweight design, also hardened with resin, that marked Wanders' international breakthrough in 1996

Marcel Wanders: Pinned Up at the Stedelijk comprises a collection of Wanders' work from the late 1980s to the present day. More than 400 objects are on display in the museum's new lower-level gallery space, including furniture, lamps, cutlery, wallpaper, packaging and jewellery. The show will run until 15 June 2014.