Soft wood and sophisticated metal

Emeco, The Aluminum Chair Company, presented a new furniture collection by British designer Michael Young at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in April. The collection of stacking chairs, barstools and tables is Emeco’s first foray into component-based design incorporating cast aluminum seats and backs with carved ash-wood legs. The ash-wood components are made by Emeco’s partner, an Amish factory in nearby Lancaster County PA, providing the collection its name, Lancaster.

- I have worked extensively with the aluminum manufacturing process recently, and with some of the best equipped factories in Asia. I was looking at the ways to join other materials with aluminum over the last few years and thinking about a chair, explained Michael Young. He continues:

- My work with the bicycle manufacturer, Giant, pushed me away from using standard section metal tubing. The sculptural form of the chair leg could only be made in wood. When I found that Emeco has partnered with a remarkable wood factory, the project gelled. It is an immense privilege to work with the Emeco family, I am sincerely proud in a way I have not felt previously. And I do feel the project fits me well with my love for and industrial heritage and what I consider to be the real thing.

The designer feels passionate about working with natural materials that live for ever. He considers wood and metal materials that connect to the human so there was no question that the richness of their aging processes is a prefect combination the designer felt would be contrasting in the Emeco collection. The wood creates a softer edge to a product whilst the aluminium keeps sophistication and heritage.