Day 67/365 of Steel – Sam Chermayeff

June 14 office

Sam Chermayeff (New York City, 1981) is an architect, and furniture designer based in Berlin and New York City. He also cofounded the office June14 Meyer-Grohbreugge & Chermayeff.

Both June 14 and his private office are engaging in a wide range of projects including furniture. Sam’s very first furniture design was the Star Bench, created in collaboration with Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge. Built in two parts and assembled onsite around an existing steel column, that could potentially be a tree trunk in a park – the bench is simple and effective. The Star-shaped seat, made of six irregular sized tips welded on a dozen thin poles, marked a meeting point.

Having so far realised some 50 furniture prototypes, small series and custom-made equipment, from a bathtub stand that includes a massive granite stone to a bespoke steel stool for a concert piano player, from a tiny stove to a monumental street light table, Chermayeff continues to reimagine the use of furniture pieces.

In October 2021, Chermayeff presented a new body of works, Beasts, in his first solo exhibition at SIDE GALLERY in Barcelona. Made entirely of galvanized steel, this series is taking a further step by quite literally sharpening our connection to the work. It is reflective and as such we see ourselves. Its forms come from typologies that we understand intuitively. These hybrid pieces subvert the codes of street furniture for use in domestic space: a 5-foot-high ashtray, for example, or a coffee table with integrated overhead street lamp.

About the Author:

Bruno Dursin – Managing Director at Believe in Steel. Bruno has more than 30 years of experience in promoting steel & steel solutions. His clients benefit from his extensive network within the building industry.

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