A woodworking feat, the Sternum Chaise is equally artwork as it is functional seating. Its organic and sinewy lines create an unmistaken visual statement while its more than sixty joints is a testament to its expert, solid-wood craftsmanship. The human spine and ergonomics dictated its inception, resulting in a startlingly comfortable seating position. Designed by Don Howell for Hellman-Chang, the Sternum Chaise is a product of Hellman-Chang’s creative Brooklyn Co-Op Studio. 

VIDEO Wood Blade Seating Experiment KI Furniture and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture prototype pubic furniture.

Howell, who operates www.DonHowellJoinery.com in a converted sawmill workshop in the Catskills, tells his approach:

I make hand joined furniture in the tradition of Early American joiners and 20th century American studio furniture makers. I have an affinity for the odd and sometimes overlooked idiosyncracies of wood such as figuring due to infection, sapwood, burl and patina from age and I endeavor to let the wood speak for itself. Materials come from such diverse sources as burl from the Adirondacks, hardwoods from the Midwest, timber milled from my own place in the Catskills, to street found elements. My background is in design starting with a BFA from Parsons School of Design leading to a long career in fashion design most recently as a designer for menswear maker John Varvatos. I have devoted the last four years to the craft of furniture making and welcome collaborations with designers and individuals for site specific pieces.

The Sternum Chaise is available at www.hellman-chang.com/collection/sternum-chaise