When Gaurav Nanda launched Bend Goods seven years ago, it was his first foray into furniture design. The Michigan-born designer spent years honing his skills as an interior sculptor at General Motors. "It was a great learning experience. I learned a lot about line quality and surface building," says Nanda. He's since traded cars for chairs and snowy Michigan for sunny California.
Ethel chair, $515 through www.bendgoods.com.
Growing up in Michigan, he was always attracted to the breezy Cali lifestyle. "When I was younger, we would go to Palm Springs during the winter time, and it was a really cool experience because it was totally different," he says. Part of his infatuation with the West Coast town was the abundance of mid-century modern design, which years later inspired the birth of Bend Goods. "It was the wire chair from the 1950s by Harry Bertoia which started it all," Nanda says. "I wanted to take that and reinvent it."
Like Bertoia's design, Bend Goods' galvanized iron-wire mesh chairs have an airiness to them that's often associated with West Coast style. But Nanda's creations take California chic to the next level, with a pastel colour palette reminiscent of Slim Aarons' photographs. Bend Goods furniture has become a familiar sight poolside and at tropical-themed eateries such as Tacofino in Vancouver and Planta in Toronto.
Cloud Bench, price on request through www.bendgoods.com.
While the brand's simple and often-copied Lucy dining chair remains its most popular item, Nanda has been utilizing his sculptor background in recent designs. The newly launched Cloud Bench leans more towards postmodern principles than previous pieces. In the shape of a cloud, the two-seater exists on that playful line between art and function. "There is nothing like it in the whole design realm of things," Nanda says.
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