Nikolai is a Danish furniture and spatial designer who draws inspiration from engineering and traditional craftsmanship. Having completed his bachelor degree in Architectural Design in Amsterdam, Nikolai went on to explore the world of industrial design at the RCA. He has also worked on textile collections and architectural projects.
Nikolai Aarre
I am particularly fond of bespoke detailing in everything from bridges to beds. I like to turn chairs upside down to examine their underparts. These are often rather messy, something that seems to be the result of a compromise in quality which I do not believe in. I am very much into materials, especially those that are not usually considered supreme. I believe that every material is precious in its own way and that each indeed should be treated so.
SUPER-FIT is an exercise in extreme simplification. How far can material, form and connection be pushed for a chair to still function as a chair? A child may draw a chair with four legs, a seat, combined with two ears and a rail to make the back. When translating this to an object, the structure will quickly collapse at the joints, unless supports are added or the child’s elegant lines are thickened into ungainly beams.
SUPER-FIT solves this problem. Taking inspiration from precision engineering tools, a bespoke joint was created with such a tight fit, that it connects with a – very satisfying – *plop*. This allows the chair to be composed of very thin but robust aluminium components that slot into each other elegantly. When taken apart, the pieces can be packed up in a minimum of space, allowing for easy transport and reassembly within minutes. The result is a graceful chair with a structure and a finish that is fully legible from all sides. A drawing in space.
