STING O30

Sting is the result of an extremely manufacturing-orientated design process. The result is a stackable and linkable chair in aluminium and stainless steel, made in an unusual way. Sting is very comfortable with a slight movement and is usable in many different environments, both indoors and outdoors. Sting natural anodised is eco-labelled with the Nordic Swan and is 100% recyclable.

“Design an entirely normal chair – made in an entirely new way”. Such was the assignment Fredrik Mattson obtained in Milan 2002. He was then still attending Konstfack school of design. The project ultimately also involved one of Fredrik’s classmates, Stefan Borselius, with whom he was developing an aluminium chair. We replied immediately, that we didn’t want an aluminium chair. But Fredrik insisted that we really ought to see it, which made us instantly curious.

Six weeks later, we witnessed the birth of a classic – a chair that would make us proud, both then and far into the future. Although we did wonder whether it could really work. After our very frst factory visit, it became clear to us that what we believed in was technically impossible. We had challenged a well-known industrial process and applied its possibilities far beyond the limits of the process – on paper.

The profle of the seat was too long and too thin in the middle. The connection and the locking between the seat and the back required tolerances that couldn’t be guaranteed. These were the details that made the chair unique. But we chose to believe our own theory, convinced that it would work. If it hadn’t been for a small miracle that sprang from the professional pride of a team at SAPA, the world’s most innovative chair would never have seen the light of day.