Cleo Chair

$350

Stine Aas vividly remembers the fjords and mountains she grew up surrounded by in rural Norway. The industrial designer’s bucolic upbringing instilled a reverence for natural materials she now channels into her studio’s award-winning products, which often appear deceptively simple yet are rich in character. In particular, she enjoys working with wood: “It can be strong or soft,” she says. “Wood tells a story about where and how it has grown, and all pieces of wood are unique.” 

For the Cleo Chair, an intricate yet pared-down piece originally designed for an exhibition during Milan Design Week 2018, she experimented with crafting its body from a single piece of bent laminated plywood, making it both sculptural and stackable. “I like the way the seat seamlessly bends out of the fitted frame to form the back,” Aas says, noting that every detail in Cleo’s build lends a different function. “I wanted it to look easy and effortless, which is difficult to achieve.” Now available through Dims. in Wimbledon green, tobiko red, fjord blue, and other colors, the chair also serves up an unexpected dose of architectural flair. When the semicircular backs of multiple Cleos stand side by side, “they form a pattern reminiscent of archways and decorative motifs in classical architecture,” Aas says. “I really focused on the back. It’s actually the part of a chair you see the most.”

Dimensions L 19.6" x D 19.2" x H 32"
Weight 10.2 lbs
Materials FSC certified solid ash wood, molded plywood