RODA Lawrence canvas sling lounge chair and stool

Canvas sling chair

Canvas, leather and a rod

The frame is a steel rod bent into a self-bracing shape that stands firm on its own points. Four leather pockets slip over the top ends of the rod and hold the canvas, and a leather profile runs along its edge. The seat hangs between them, so the cloth settles to the body of whoever sits down. From across a lawn the chair reads as a few lines and a single sheet.

The canvas is 100 percent cotton treated with Teflon, which helps it shed water and resist stains. It comes in sand, green or blue. The rod is powder coated stainless steel in smoke, so it will not rust. Cotton and leather do age in the open, and a covered porch or a trip indoors in bad weather keeps them fresh longer.

The lounge chair measures about 29 7/8 inches wide and 31 1/2 inches deep, with a back rising to 39 inches and a seat at 17 3/4 inches. The stool shares the width and the height, so it pulls up to the front of the chair as a footrest or stands alone as an extra seat. RODA also lists five of its fabrics for the collection, among them Duna and Opera.

Dordoni let function set the form here, and the pair fits a small city terrace as well as a large garden. Lawrence is Italian outdoor furniture with very few parts, each one visible, and the leather corners give it a tailored finish. Canvas in sand disappears against gravel and dry grass, while green and blue pick up hedges or a pool.

A cotton sling held at four leather corners

Designer

Rodolfo Dordoni

Rodolfo Dordoni, whose studio Dordoni Architetti designs villas, restaurants and hotels, drew Lawrence as a quiet, function-first chair that fits a large garden or a small city terrace.

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Also listed under Outdoor chairs.