Dopo Bar Stool | MC27

Konstantin Grcic: Last year you made a brilliant debut with the OTO series. The

project was very personal. This year I asked you to design a family of stools in

different heights. Does the new project relate to OTO, or what other references

were important to you?

Studio OE: This time, the brief for a bar stool was more precise about the setting

and function of the furniture. The process leading to the final concept was

therefore different. However, there are similarities between our two projects for

MATTIAZZI, which can be found in the haptic appearance. We were amazed by

the immediate impulse of people who encounter OTO for the first time to touch it

and trace its soft lines. We wanted to incorporate this tactile quality into the

character of DOPO, which invites a sensual interaction with the stool. The way the

stool's legs wrap around and rise above the levels of the stool is reminiscent of

trees and shrubs that slowly grow around fences, walls or other plants, eventually

merging with them over time.

KG: The bar stool is certainly the main protagonist of the series. What do you

think makes a good bar stool?

OE: There’s no better way to understand than to experience it firsthand. We went

on field trips to various bars to figure out what we expect from a good bar stool by

observing behaviours and movements. Leaning casually against the stool, turning

from left to right on the seat, and sometimes not even sitting on it but placing a

jacket on top. A good bar stool should be a supportive base that provides security

whilst allowing you to freely reposition yourself in the room and in relation to

others. And, of course, should a bar stool make you look good, like a pedestal that

puts you in the right light and height.

KG: A striking feature of the stool series is that one of the four legs extends

upwards above the seat level. What is this detail all about?

OE: Confidently stepping out of line, the fourth leg protrudes beyond the seat,

subtly responding to our observed gestures and behaviours in the context of a

bar stool. At walking stick height, the raised leg becomes a hand-flattering knob

– we will certainly use it to hang our bags and pull DOPO closer to us. But we are

curious to see what other interactions this extension will encourage.