Dezeen Magazine

Danish brand Handvark just unveiled the Mantle chair designed by Iskos-Berlin during Maison & Objet fair

Handvark promotes "aesthetic sustainability" with chair designed to last a lifetime

Design duo Iskos-Berlin has designed a chair for Danish furniture brand Handvark that is intended to be passed down through generations.

Called Mantle, the chair is intended to age gracefully, reflecting Handvark's brand ethos of "aesthetic sustainability".

"Aesthetic sustainability is key to all of our products," explained brand founder Emil Thorup.

"In an effort to create furniture that will last a lifetime, we have taken no shortcuts. We work with genuine marble, solid brass and aniline leather – materials that will only become more beautiful over time."

The approach can be see as a counter to the growing trend for furniture made with recycled or alternative materials – from ocean plastic to fallen leaves.

"We work with solid and natural materials that are worked to suit our design. We choose the best steel, solid and never coated brass, genuine marble and leather of the best quality," added Thorup.

"The collection is mainly produced locally by craftsmen with each their speciality, whether it is steel and stonework or upholstery."

Mantle debuted at Paris furniture fair Maison&Objet last month.

Iskos-Berlin, led by designers Boris Berlin and Aleksej Iskos, aimed to create a simple and durable chair for both home and office use.

The chair has a draped leather seat that is meant to mimic the print of the person sitting on it. Black in colour, it is supported by four slender legs.

"Our ambition was to design for Handvärk a very comfortable and inviting chair for residential and contract use – both for dining and meeting situations," said the duo.

"With its clear sculptural expression of contrast between the 'waving' shell and the strictly geometric minimalistic frame it inherits and brings further the characteristic design language of Handvark."

The duo, who founded their Copenhagen-based studio in 2010, often focus on sustainability in their designs. Past examples include a recyclable plastic chair for Danish brand Muuto and a recyclable felt chair for Swedish brand Blå Station.