Batman serves as inspiration for Constance Guisset’s latest chair

The gently curved backrest and seat of Constance Guisset‘s stackable steel chair for French brand Matière Grise is based on the contoured form of Batman’s mask and cape.

French designer Guisset said she set out to create a chair that was light and delicate but also strong and durable.

Perched on tubular steel legs with an 18-millimetre diameter, the chair’s backrest and seat are scored with three fold lines along either side that create a gentle faceted cape-like curve around the chair’s tubular frame.

Guisset said she got the idea for the aerodynamic design from observing the forms of Batman’s mask and cape.

“It is more a reference to the superhero cape,” Guisset told Dezeen. “The chair seems to take flight, evoking the movement of a floating cape.”

Called the Batchair, the chiselled design joins Guisset‘s wider Ankara collection made by metal furniture specialists Matière Grise.

The Ankara collection features multifacted tables and lighting made from folded sheets of colourful powder-coated steel.

“The chair has to be seen from every angle,” she continued. “It was very important to precisely design the details of the back. So the most challenging part was to find the best way to connect it with the seat, in a design consistent with the whole piece.”

The Batchair comes in a choice of 27 colours and with a translucent glide pad to protect the surface of the chair when stacked.

Designed to be flexible the Batchair is intended to be used in both residential and commercial environments as either an office or dining room chair.

Founded in 2009, Guisset’s eponymous studio is known for its light and playful designs. Previously the studio has created a metal totem-inspired shelving unit for De Castelli and puffed up plates that have the illusion of being soft and malleable for Moustache.

Read more

• Furniture
• Design