Plywood is a tricky material to work with when making furniture. It would need meticulous care and process to hide its ugly ply and smoothen its edges. It’s also difficult to give it a distinct shape. But designer Nathan Martell’s Layup Chair concept envisions the possibility of using bent plywood in making furniture pieces.
It’s an exploration into “the current and future possibilities of 3D plywood forming technology,” a conceptual study initiated as part of the 2025 Design Forum hosted by wood molding experts Becker Brackel. “For the past century, pushing the limits of wood bending has been a perennial topic of conversation between designers and industry. In this spirit, I took the opportunity to propose a technically ambitious lounge chair aimed at carrying this tradition forward into a new era,” Martell explained.
At first glance, the Layup Chair looks like a single sheet of plywood contoured to the max to give it form and function. But it actually consists of three pieces of bent plywood seamlessly joined together to create the illusion of a single sheet. As Martell explained, “Layup optimistically envisions a complex multi-part 3D veneer construction, with each of the chairs molded plywood components seamlessly joined together to form a singular sculptural gesture.”
The Layup Chair consists of the seat itself with a backrest and a front and back leg component. The pieces join at the top and frontal edges so smoothly that they don’t show any seam. While this is an elegant piece, it’s unclear if it can actually hold weight as it’s a concept for now. Martell said he is looking for alternative materials and production methods to create a similar design.
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Images courtesy of Nathan Martell
