Beke

Dining Chair for John G Williams Fine Furniture

Beke means 'peace' and 'to be connected to'. The Beke dining chair design supports an ergonomic and aesthetic sense of peace, and at the same time a sense of connection with the space at the table. The design respects the simplicity of the Danish Modern philosophy, and yet incorporates a shaped solid hardwood seat and back; integrates South African Cape Dutch architectural motifs with a sweeping architectural profile; and uses a clean ash frame to showcase the richness of local and international hardwoods.

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Beke by John G Williams

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Dining Chair by John G Williams

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John G Williams Beke

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Beke Dining Chair Media Articles

Utilize our prepared articles to feature Beke, available in the languages: English.

Unique Properties

The Beke design uses a combination of innovative components. The seat is a unique design laminated from individually shaped profiles to yield the final solid hardwood architectural form. The rear legs are formed in two parts: first by steam bending the graceful form, and then laminating for long term dimensional stability. The rails are profiled in an attempt to reinforce the overall lightness and sense of peace, and to support the cantilevered seat over the front rail.

Tags

Beke, dining chair, south africa, hardwood, curved, danish modern, minimalist, ash, walnut, graceful

Production Technology

The chair design incorporates a number of innovative components: custom profiled hardwood seat; steam bent rear legs; coopered backrest; and shaped rails: Custom profiled hardwood seat. The seat is constructed from over twenty individually shaped profiles that are formed from a solid hardwood, such as walnut. The laminated rough form is finished with purpose modified sanding tooling, to realize the final shape. Threaded inserts in the base of the seat provide strong engineered connection to the frame for the cantilevered seat form. Steam bent rear legs. The rear legs are steam bent in two pieces; cooled and stabilized; and then laminated to generate the final leg forms. Regular lamination was discarded on account of the excessive glue joints implied; and steam bending alone risked dimensional instability over time. This innovative combination captures the best of both techniques. Coopered backrest. Coopering is the ancient art of constructing curved forms as used in barrel construction. The backrest staves are cut with edges 1 degree off perpendicular so that, when glued together, they pull into the curved form. Modified power tools are used to finish shape the graceful curves. Shaped rails. The rails incorporate forms that echo local Cape Dutch architecture. These are achieved by trimming the rails to custom templates.

Design Challenge

The hardest part of this design was to make sure that the end result was clean, simple and graceful. On multiple occasions unduly complicated ideas were abandoned in favour of simpler, cleaner design details

Project Duration

Work started on the design in March 2018 and was completed it in May 2018.

Operation Flow

The chair works well at the dining table and, when pushed back or used elsewhere, is also comfortable for extended periods of time. Moving the chair around is easy – the hand naturally finds the hand-shaped indent at the bottom edge of the backrest and the well-balanced chair is readily lifted from this point

Research

The Carl Hansen library of designs were carefully reviewed and analysed; Earlier designs were critiqued, including last year's Zene design; Various sweeping architectural forms were referenced; Steam bending method and realisation were researched drawing on various inputs including helpful general introduction by Veritas; Template cutting and trimming methods were researched and prototyped, to understand the boundaries and possibilities.

Inspiration

Beke means 'peace' and 'to be connected to'. This design is intended to put the user at ease, for extended comfort at the dining table – to provide an ergonomic and aesthetic sense of peace. The design attempts to realize this sense of well-being, and at the same time to support a sense of connection with the space at the table, and hence engagement with the other diners. The design: respects the simplicity of the Danish Modern, and yet incorporates a luxurious solid hardwood seat and back; integrates South African Cape Dutch architectural motifs with a sweeping architectural profile; uses a clean ash frame to showcase the richness of local and international hardwoods.

Image Credits

All photos by John G Williams

Project Overview

Beke Dining Chair has been a Iron winner in the Furniture Design award category in the year 2018 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.

Iron Recognition

John G Williams was recognized with the coveted Iron A' Design Award in 2019, a testament to excellence of their work Beke Dining Chair.

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