Magis Spun Outdoor Chair, 2010

Spun outdoor chair by Thomas Heatherwick for Magis.

The Spun chair began as an exploration into whether the process of metal spinning could be used to create something to sit on. As the finished object would be a completely symmetrical rotational form it would have to be able to work as a chair whichever way round it was rotated.

Full-size models were experimented with and gradually tweaked and refined until the optimum shape was discovered. 

Heatherwick initially produced a limited series of metal chairs and then went on to collaborate with the Italian furniture manufacturer, Magis, to develop a version using rotation moulded polypropylene.

The plastic chair is covered with a detail of fine ridges, like the grooves on an old vinyl record, which add comfort and reinforce the rotational shape of the form.