Dominic Grasso, Volta (STUDENT 2025)

Student:

Tertiary

Name of school or tertiary institution, name of woodworking teacher (if you have one), and name of photographer:

Chippendale International School of Furniture. Photos: Andrew Cockerill

Country

United Kingdom (Great Britain)

This piece titled 'Volta,' an Italian term often meaning to turn or a change in direction. Similar to my Rinato coffee table, this piece speaks to my own personal journey and change in direction from being an Australian Lawyer to a furniture designer maker in Scotland. The name Volta also speaks to the use of steam bending implemented to create the continuous back rest to front leg component of the chair. Before starting my professional training at Chippendale I spent some time with Isabelle Moore learning steam bending techniques from her and making a serving tray making steam bent elements. From this point on I was hooked, I love the possibilities that steam bending create and I was constantly thinking of ways to incorporate steam bending into my furniture. In March this year I visited the Vitra Design Museum in Basel with some of my fellow students. During this trip I noticed that many hard backed chairs were less comfortable because the backrest had no "give" when you lent back into it. This inspired me to make a chair that moved or "flexes" with the person who leans back into it. To achieve this I incorporated a steam bent back rest that is unsupported or not captured by a back rest or back leg, this means the backrest can flex using the inherent strength and elasticity of the wood. Due to these design choices I decided to use Ash as it is highly regarded for tool handles and steam bending due to its excellent combination of strength, flexibility, and shock resistance. Its properties including a coarse, open grain that allows it to absorb and distribute impact forces effectively. Additionally, ash has a high elasticity, making it less likely to break or splinter under stress, and its straight grain enhances its workability and stability during steam bending. The intended purpose for the Volta chair is to be a comfortable dining chair or occasional chair for people to use in the home or even in commercial settings. The simple elegant design pairs well with many different aesthetics from the more modern minimal, Scandinavian or Danish, to even more traditionally styled spaces. The steam bent component was shaped by hand with rasps and spokeshaves after bending, similarly the seat and back legs were shaped and sculpted using a combination of power carving for bulk waste removal and then with travishers, spokeshaves and rasps to ease the transitions and smooth the surfaces. The bridal joint in the back legs were also chosen for its strength and durability but also for its ability to be sculpted and shaped without worrying about it affecting its aesthetics. I was fortunate enough to get multiple usable bends from the stock available and as such made three more Volta chairs in different finishes (1x India Ink blackened, 1x Osmo Wood Wax Red, 1x Osmos Polyx White) to showcase different colour options for clients (photos of the different colour options can also be provided)

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.