Architect Henning Stummel launches debut furniture collection

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Zac Nicholson

Henning Stummel, architect of the award-winning Tin House in London, has launched his debut furniture range. Designed to combine style and quality with simple construction and minimal waste, the Nomad Collection includes a two-seater sofa, armchair and coffee table. Each piece comprises just five plywood components and can be quickly assembled without the need for tools, screws or glue. When disassembled each piece can fit easily into a small car for transportation. The sofa and armchair upholstery is available in two leather and three velvet finishes, while the frames and coffee table are manufactured using birch ply, which can be laminated to provide alternative colour variations.

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“I designed the furniture range initially and solely because my wife wanted a sofa”, explains Henning Stummel. “Two years later, the house is full of prototypes and we have a furniture company. Not exactly instant gratification, but an interesting journey. Cutting everything out of one sheet of plywood  – avoiding waste and any other components for that matter – was the point of departure. With our current design we use 95 per cent of each single sheet.”

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“For the sofa, the seat and the back are one cushion each, rather than two. I liked the idea of really reducing the number of pieces. It reminds me of the Citroën 2CV in which there are three bolts to fix the wheels. I wanted this furniture to be the 2CV of sofas; you could always have more, but you’ll never actually need it.”

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“Running a furniture business alongside an architectural practice is complementary. I was educated with that Renaissance/Bauhaus ideal that an architect should be able to design everything from the doorknob to the city, and it’s an ideal I still believe in. I wanted to explore what we can still make in Europe and revive the Bauhaus idea of making products for a wide audience through the use of technology and by concentrating on what’s really necessary.”

“What is very satisfying about furniture, especially when you keep it this simple, is that the development cycle is much faster than seeing through the development and construction of a building. Time to rediscover the fun in making things and making things happen.”

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Nomad is made in the UK by Gloucestershire-based sofa maker Uptec. The collection is available to buy from the official Nomad Collection website.

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