Milan 2015: Swedish designer Markus Johansson used a full-size 3D-printed model to create the mould for this chair that looks like it was squeezed from a tube (+ slideshow).

Johansson wanted to create a chair with an "unconventional" form using new methods, so experimented with producing a 1:1 model of his complex design using a 3D printer.

He then used this prototype as the base to form two silicone moulds for the front and back of the chair.

Fibreglass is placed into the separate moulds, then the two parts are joined together with epoxy resin to create the final hollow structure.

As well as the production technique, the designer wanted to experiment with the aesthetic of the chair so abstracted the traditional shape to create a "soft toy-like appearance".

A series of tubes creates the outline and legs of the chair, while more zigzag around the frame to form the seat and back.

"The straight line is the shortest path between two points, but it rarely is the most interesting," Johansson said. "The Loop Chair is inspired on the digressions of the mind."

"It is the result of wandering around the thought of a chair, and it is built by the physical wanderings of the material itself, almost as if it were a sketch," he added.

The use of fibreglass offers a durable furniture piece suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

"[It is] a very functional chair: stackable, comfortable, long-lasting, resistant to exterior weather conditions and easy to clean, all of which makes it suitable for numerous different scenes for both interior and exterior environments," said the designer.

Johansson will present the design at the Salone del Mobile furniture fair in Milan next week, as part of the Satellite section for emerging designers.