RODA Harp armchair, chairs, stools and sunlounger

Corded chairs and stools

Strung like an instrument

Every Harp piece begins as a tubular stainless steel frame, welded by hand and powder coated in smoke, milk or rust. Cord is then wound around it along one continuous path, which is where the seat and back get their tension and the family gets its name. Air moves through the strings, so the seat dries soon after rain and the frame looks light on a small balcony.

The cord is a twisted double thread of polyester or acrylic with a cotton finish, offered in two gauges. The 3 mm cord of the 300 series makes a fine, dense surface. The 7 mm cord of the 700 series is chunkier and more graphic. Both come in eight colors, from sand and tobacco to blue, and in five recycled colors such as clay and teal. Hydro-draining cushions in RODA fabrics sit on the seat.

The RODA Harp armchair has arms at 25 5/8 inches and a seat at 19 inches on its cushion, a dining height, and the armless chair shares its frame. For lounging there is a lower chair with a 15 3/4 inch seat and a matching low stool. A barstool puts the seat at 31 1/2 inches for a counter or an outdoor kitchen, and the sunlounger has a back with three positions.

Dordoni meant Harp as a tribute to handwork that still mixes with any other furniture. A few armchairs look at home around a teak table, and a row of barstools fits a pool bar. It is made in Italy by RODA, and frame color, cord color and cushion fabric are chosen one by one.

Cord wound by hand around welded steel

Designer

Rodolfo Dordoni

Rodolfo Dordoni, RODA's artistic director and a Milan architect by training, treated Harp as a tribute to craft, keeping the frame spare so the cord carries the design.

More about Rodolfo DordoniMore about Rodolfo Dordoni

Also listed under Outdoor chairs.