Exocet Multifunctional Chair

About Exocet Multifunctional Chair

Exocet is a multifunctional chair made of Baltic birch and aluminium. The chair is built from a series of identical curved slats assembled around a central cylinder. The use of one basic slat shape supports an efficient fabrication process. Exocet can be set in several configurations, including a standard chair, a rocking long chair and a folded form. To change the shape, the user releases the pressure with the handle, moves the sections around the cylinder and tightens the handle again. The result is a chair with many positions and very few parts.

Within the distinguished lineage of bentwood furniture innovation that traces from nineteenth-century steam-bending techniques through mid-century organic modernism, Stéphane Leathead's Exocet Multifunctional Chair emerges as a sophisticated contemporary contribution that reimagines the relationship between seating, storage, and sculptural presence. The work demonstrates remarkable technical accomplishment in its manipulation of laminated wood, achieving continuous curves of considerable complexity while maintaining structural integrity across transitions from horizontal seating surface to near-vertical backrest. The designer appears to draw upon biomimetic principles, with the parallel-slatted construction evoking natural structures from the ribbed architecture of shells to the graduated fins of marine creatures, establishing a formal vocabulary that bridges organic reference and manufactured precision. The integration of the cylindrical storage drum represents a particularly inventive resolution of the perennial design challenge of combining multiple functions without compromising formal coherence, as this geometric element provides both visual grounding and practical utility while introducing a dynamic tension with the dominant curvilinear language. The material selection of light-toned laminated wood, likely birch or a comparable species, speaks to values of warmth, sustainability, and craftsmanship that resonate with contemporary design sensibilities while honoring established traditions of wood manipulation. The chromatic restraint of the natural palette, accented only by the white and silver of the drum element, allows the sculptural qualities of the form to command attention without decorative distraction. One might observe that the work invites multiple modes of engagement across its various configurations, suggesting a design philosophy that privileges adaptability and user agency. The viewer is encouraged to contemplate how the continuous flow of the wooden ribbon might transform the experience of sitting into an encounter with sculptural beauty, where function and aesthetic aspiration achieve harmonious integration.