SIDES. Soviet Fighters, Part II
Design Samuli Naamanka - 2007

Sides is an ultramodern chair designed by Samuli Naamanka. Although it is modern, you can get a sense of history when you sit in it. Sides is assembled from three parts - two leg parts and a seat made of pressed veneer that is glued between them. The leg parts are light but durable, which is no surprise, because they are made of the same aluminium that is used on aeroplanes. "Finland imports some aluminium that was used in old Soviet fighters," explains Mr. Naamanka. It is melted and reused, and it may well be that the aluminium used for the Sides chairs has been circling the Siberian expanse.

This is not a mere coincidence. An article read by Naamanka about the reuse of aluminium sparked his interest in the material. "I wanted to make a chair that was as light and straightforward as possible, and with aluminium it could be done," he says.

Naamanka made the first experiments on the chair in his own workshop. "First I studied on my own the structural solution I had drafted. It looked pretty crude, because I'm not much of a carpenter," he confesses, and continues, "but I always want to be sure that the basic idea works."

The real prototypes were made in co-operation with one of Finland's top carpenters, and the chair design was completed with wooden models. "The end result is exactly what I was looking for," says Samuli Naamanka. A simple pressed veneer seat, clear structure and strong leg profiles, which have given their name to the chair.