19th April 2018

Milan 2018: Beret

We hope London-based industrial designer Samuel Wilkinson has been getting some shut-eye this past week because, gosh, he’s got a busy Milan Design Week. Launching at new district Ventura Future, Samuel’s new brand BEEM is a future-focused lighting company formed with Chris Stimson and Bujar Shkodra, entrepreneurs and founders of well-lit. Born out of the idea that sculptural lighting shouldn’t be hindered by a chunky bulb holder, BEEM’s two new designs – SMILE and CURLI – pair the latest in LED technology with the fluid, experimental forms that made Samuel’s Plumen bulb a household name.

But that’s not all, also launching this week is Beret, a wooden stool created for Italian furniture company (and steam-bending masters) Crassevig inspired by the modish headgear. Its tilting seat pan undulates with complex 3D ply curves to provide a particularly comfortable shell for the posterior. “The idea was to design a stool with a surprising level of comfort within a slim minimal form,” says Samuel.

We caught-up with this ingenious designer to get the inside scoop on Beret before the long days (and long nights) of the design festival kick in.

Beret by Samuel Wilkinson.

How did a beret end up inspiring a stool?

While developing the stool we were researching objects that could inspire different forms. A beret came up as we were looking into round slanted forms in response to observations of how users often perch on the front edge of stools. A key part of the brief was to provide great comfort whether someone is perched on the edge or sat straight up. The beret then helped inspire the unique form of the round 3D plywood seat pan with the form pushed out at the front and in at the back while retaining a pure 2D circle profile from above.

We hear it feels great to sit in. How did you create a form that maximised comfort?

We worked out the basic approach to the shape of the seat and then revised it by making various 1:1 models with subtle differences of geometry until we found the right level of comfort to allow good comfort in various positions.

Beret by Samuel Wilkinson.

Tell us a bit about the manufacturing process and any unusual techniques or materials that you used to create the stool…

The most technical part is the seat pan as its made from 6mm 3D plywood. Usually most moulded plywood parts are made in way that only allows a limited amount of 3D curvature, meaning the part can curve in two directions. This is achieved by using thinner veneers, usually half thickness, to achieve a visually lightweight but very strong part. The legs have been machined from high quality solid wood to fit precisely with the steel foot ring and cross support under the seat.

What has been the most challenging aspect of building the prototype?

It has taken a few iterative prototypes to arrive at the final piece. This is mostly due to work on the construction of the supporting frame as its always a challenge to find the right balance between a clean aesthetic and something that has the strength to survive busy environments.

Beret by Samuel Wilkinson.

What are you hoping to get from showing the stool in Milan?

The stool marks is the effort of two years work to complete our first collaboration with this 50-year old Italian brand and will go into full production after the fair and will be available in multiple variations (different heights, upholstered, non-upholstered).

To find out more about Samuel Wilkinson’s BEEM click here and find Beret at HALL 7, STAND H21.