If progress is about improving on a classic, then Los Angeles designer Gaurav Nanda has succeeded with his collection of chairs under the Bend banner. When it comes to pretty much every wire chair on the market, sitting has its limits—even among the standard bearer of them all, the metal rod chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll Studio, still a Midcentury modern classic after all these years. The wires on Bend chairs are spaced less than a quarter-inch apart, making these chairs a pleasure to sit on.
Each piece is machine-molded and undergoes upwards of 400 handmade spot-welds—a process Gaurav refers to as "bending." Each bend is carefully arranged to ensure structural strength, while the angles of the back, the curves of the seat, and the closeness of the wires are designed to encourage relaxation, comfort and utility. Gaurav, who grew up in the Detroit suburbs and even spent part of his design career at General Motors, draws pattern inspiration from his childhood: the intricate macramé his mother made; string art Spirograph drawing sets. (He was also a part of the design and conception of Clocky with his sister Gauri).
What's more, the collection is made of an iron that can be repeatedly recycled (something for your green heads), and all pieces are sandblasted, then pre-treated with anti-rust zinc primer and powder coated for extended life right in Gaurav's L.A. studio.