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Curved Benches Created by Steam-Bending Hardwood by Matthias Pliessnig

Brooklyn-based furniture designer and sculptor Matthias Pliessnig creates sumptuous, twisting benches by steam-bending hardwood. He first developed the process in 2006 while studying wooden boat building techniques at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when he realized that by flipping his boat-inspired creations over, he could use the hollow form as a sturdy bench. Once he has designed his works using Rhinoceros 3-D software, Pliessnig places a strips of wood into a tube filled with hot steam. After ten minutes the wood is malleable enough to bend into his desired shape, but only for about 30 seconds. In eight hours, the wood is fully hardened, and back to its original strength. You can see more of the designer’s undulating furniture on his Instagram.

Photo: Sam Amil