Sturdy Chair is a minimal chair created by Brooklyn-based studio Office of Tangible Space for Bestcase. The aluminum gleams with an almost liquid quality under the filtered light of 3.1 Phillip Lim’s Great Jones Street showroom, where Office of Tangible Space’s Sturdy Chair commands attention not through ostentation, but through an understated confidence that speaks to decades of design evolution. The show launched as part of Rooted a showcase of contemporary craft curated by FDK Florals and Sandy Park as part of NY Design Week. This chair represents more than mere seating – it embodies a contemporary response to the enduring challenge of creating furniture that transcends categorical boundaries while maintaining an essential honesty of purpose.

The choice of aluminum as primary material reveals the designers’ sophisticated understanding of contemporary material culture. Where mid-century masters like Charles and Ray Eames pioneered aluminum’s potential in furniture through their iconic management chair series, Office of Tangible Space pushes this legacy forward by embracing the metal’s inherent versatility. The material’s ability to withstand both interior climates and poolside environments reflects our increasingly fluid relationship with domestic and commercial spaces – a reality that has only intensified in recent years as the boundaries between work, leisure, and living continue to blur.

The stacking functionality speaks to a deeper design intelligence rooted in hospitality and commercial applications. This practical consideration echoes the democratic principles that animated designers like Robin Day, whose polypropylene chair revolutionized mass seating by proving that accessible design need not sacrifice aesthetic integrity. The Sturdy Chair carries this torch forward, its “approachable personality” suggesting a piece comfortable in diverse contexts without losing its essential character.