Nina & Beni Chair

About Nina & Beni Chair

Nina & Beni is a solid wood chair inspired by the forms of wooden boat structures. Two steam-bent strips cantilever over the seat, serving first as legs, then as armrests, and finally shaping to the lumbar area. The chair is made of ash, cherry, oak or walnut from sustainably sourced forests, and is finished with natural oils and waxes. Molds cut on a five axis machine guide the steam bending and the lamination of the wood strips. The seat is removable and interchangeable. The shaping method limits material waste.

Within the distinguished lineage of bentwood furniture innovation, this chair by Andrés Mariño Maza represents a remarkable synthesis of traditional lamination techniques and contemporary sculptural ambition, achieving what might be termed structural poetry through its audacious continuous armrest construction. The work demonstrates exceptional command of wood bending processes, where multiple thin veneers of contrasting walnut and lighter wood species have been laminated and formed into sweeping curves that defy the inherent rigidity of their material origin. One observes how the designer has transformed what could be mere structural necessity into expressive gesture, the rear legs ascending in an unbroken arc to become armrest and finally backrest in a single continuous element that wraps the sitter in an embrace of warm wood. The chromatic strategy proves equally considered, the alternating dark and light laminations creating a visual rhythm that articulates each curve while celebrating the manufacturing process itself rather than concealing it. This transparency of construction connects the piece to Arts and Crafts movement values while its formal language speaks to mid-century organicism and contemporary parametric design sensibilities. The upholstered seat, rendered in restrained pale textile, introduces necessary softness without competing for visual attention, demonstrating sophisticated hierarchical thinking. The chair seems to explore fundamental questions about the relationship between strength and grace, between engineering and art, between tradition and innovation. Art historically, the work participates in conversations initiated by Michael Thonet's steam-bending innovations of the nineteenth century, extended through Alvar Aalto's Finnish plywood experiments, and refined by Danish masters including Hans Wegner and Finn Juhl. What distinguishes this contribution appears to be its willingness to expose and celebrate the laminated structure as both technical achievement and decorative element. The viewer might contemplate how functional objects achieve the status of art, and whether a chair that so eloquently addresses the eye might equally satisfy the body.