Moulded to perfection

Steel's versatility opens up endless possibilities in furniture and interior design.

"I love steel, its strength, immediacy, even its tendency to fight back before yielding to form. Its structural limits seem boundless."
- Pat Payne, sculptor and artist

Most of us view steel as the mainstay of buildings we live in, cars we drive, bridges we cross, tools we use and a multitude of elements we employ in our everyday lives. While its sleekness belies its strength, its versatility opens up endless possibilities. These could include giving form to the abstract ideas of sculptors or the sketches of innovative furniture and interior designers, who mould and marry the metal to create beautiful objects and contemporary living spaces.

Considered an important innovation of the industrial age, steel was especially favoured by avant-garde furniture designers of the 20th century such as Marcel Breuer (1902-81), who began his career at the Bauhaus (Germany's renowned art and architecture school that functioned from 1919-33). Breuer used tubular steel to create design classics including chairs such as the ' Wassily' and 'Spoleto' in 1926.

Iconic designers

Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who was director of the Bauhaus from 1930-33, was also inspired to use steel in his famous 'Barcelona Chair'. Iconic designers from the time who also used steel in their furniture designs included French architects Le Corbusier and Rene Herbst, who created the ' Chaiselounge' and the ' Sandows Chair', respectively.

Corbusier's leather sofas with steel legs and several of the chairs mentioned above are reproduced even today. In the '40s, designer Harry Bertoia's (1915-78) creations using steel including his chairs and stools, also celebrated modernity. They were sculptures, as much as they were furniture.

Other designers who gained repute for their furniture in later years included Rodney Kinsman, who created the ' Omstak Chair' in the '70s. The chair was constructed from tubular steel and epoxy-coated pressed steel sheet. The 'AEO' chair, designed by Paolo Deganello and produced by Cassina from Italy, is another example of famous design using steel, as is the 'Abacus 700', created by the famous British designer David Mellor.

David Ormerod, Design Coordinator for Greenline Yacht Interiors and a trained product and industrial designer, makes an addition to the list. "As a designer, Ron Arad is famous for giving us steel furniture such as the 'Big Easy Chair' for Vitra, and changing our assumption that material should be used in a certain way and adjusting our perception of form not always following function."

"The Corona from Erik Joergensen, designed and manufactured first in 1964, is still a popular piece of steel furniture. It was made from matt chrome spring steel and leather. It's such a modern design that it's hard to believe it was designed so many years ago," says Steven Sheriff, Managing Director, Modern Living Dubai, which retails furniture from some of the renowned Scandinavian brands, including ones that offer steel furniture.

These designers and their creations have spawned a generation of modern furniture designs that have used steel for its aesthetics, strength and price.

Amarpreet Pandey, interior designer and merchandising manager at ID Design in Dubai, says, "After the industrial revolution, steel emerged as a popular, accessible and affordable material in a variety of applications including architecture and furniture.

"Its popularity has endured because of its ease of application and the variety of finishes made readily available by manufacturers, which renders it with a flexibility that one doesn't get in other materials."

Contemporary furniture

ID Design has a vast range of contemporary furniture that incorporates steel in elements such as arm supports, stands, bed frames, furniture handles and inlays. "In the past, metal and even steel provided the frame (of furniture), which was the unexposed support hidden by warmer and more attractive materials. However, it soon became trendy to expose the 'support' behind the furniture as an element of design," says Pandey.

Steel brings in strength, durability and versatility to design, says Jay Dandwani, an interior designer who's done projects in Hong Kong and is currently working on projects in the UAE.

"Steel is easy to maintain and, when combined with other materials such as solid wood and glass, can create wonderful aesthetics," she says.

"It allows a simple and sleek design, as even a thin piece of steel has incredible strength. However, most other materials would add bulk to a design, if you wanted to obtain the strength that steel offers," says Soren Krogh Jensen, Brand Manager, BO Concept, an internationally renowned Danish furniture retail chain that has a beautiful collection of steel accessories and wenge and walnut wood furniture with steel elements.

While its strength is beyond doubt, it's steel's versatility that makes the metal exciting to use. "Steel's light and malleable, and can be easily shaped to obtain designs envisioned by designers. Such qualities make it perfect for both office and home furniture," says Rania El Gebaily, GM - Furniture and Projects (Baituti - Bin Hendi Group), an exclusive furniture showroom.

Baituti retails some of the most exclusive furniture brands in the world, including ones that create furniture with steel elements such as B&B Italia, German brand Draenert, Swiss brand Vitra (high-end office furniture) and Glas Italia, which is an Italian brand with an exotic blend of steel and glass furniture.

Minimalist theme

According to Jensen, steel and steel/glass combinations are often used to create the minimalist theme seen in industrial looking kitchens or loft apartments, which are converted from old factories into the ideal nest for the design-conscious urban hipster.

Designs for kitchens also incorporate steel in worktops or cabinets. "Steel in kitchens doesn't just add an aesthetic element, it's also practical as steel is durable, easy-to-maintain, fireproof and water-proof, which makes it an ideal material," says Dandwani.

At the workplace, steel has been popular for frames, cabinets and chairs, as well as lending the space a cleaner and more formal ambience.

While steel can provide aesthetics it can also be overwhelming and make a space appear clinical and cold. So designers are now combining it with different materials to add warmth and bring contrast.

"The current trends are moving away from the hardcore minimalist look and going towards a softer but contemporary theme, which is obtained by combining steel details with wood on the living/dining furniture and with fabric/leather on the upholstery," says Jensen.

Pandey says that steel can also have numerous other applications since it can be moulded easily. It can also be used to produce traditional motifs by a machine, which can then be painted or sandblasted.

Finishing techniques have made steel more effective as a structural and decorative material. "We have now refined a technique of weaving very thin gauge stainless steel wire to produce a cloth-like material. When combined with glass and lighting, it produces some interesting visual experiences. In fact, I have used the material recently in an interior project for a yacht here in Dubai," says Omerod.

Range of designs

Steel can also be sandblasted and chromed, or given a shiny or matt finish to accommodate a scheme. It can also be styled into dining tables, consoles, stands for sofas, light rods and even accessories and artefacts, says Dandwani.

While steel offers abundant possibilities in furniture and interior design, harmonising well with even classic design themes, the metal can pose challenges.

According to Omerod, the price of steel often fluctuates. If the price rises continually, it makes steel an expensive option for decoration. "Being a hard material, the processes to cut and finish are still lengthy and costly. So these costs must be factored into the project at the start.

"Details using steel can be effective if the processes used are planned effectively and the finish is of a high standard. If not, then the steel will show every defect and not mould itself to the desired specifications. However, if steel is treated well during manufacture, it will reward you with perfection of form and strength," he says.