Betty TK1

Overview

Thau & Kallio designed Betty TK1 in 2019 as a stackable chair with a linen webbing seat in a solid wood frame. The fact sheet classes it as a dining chair.

Image source: &Tradition — Betty TK1 · © &Tradition and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research. · View official product page ↗ · Image use & copyright policy

Construction

Oiled solid wood and form-pressed veneer with natural linen and polypropylene webbing. Wood finishes on the page: Black Lacquered Ash, Smoked Oiled Oak and Oak. Fitted with plastic gliders; felt gliders and a linking system can be requested.

Specifications

H 77 × W 51 × D 48 cm (30.3 × 20.1 × 18.9 in), seat height 47 cm, seat depth 42 cm. Weight 4 kg. Eight chairs stack. Manufacturer: Kvist Industries A/S, Latvia.

The seat as the design element

The 2019 press release introduces Betty as a stackable chair based around a design element that most designers overlook: seat webbing. Looking for comfortable seating that suits any space, Jakob Thau and Sami Kallio found their answer in a universal component usually hidden under the frame, so the exposed webbed seat became Betty's most prominent feature.

Light but strong

The release calls the chair almost a contradiction in terms, sturdy in appearance and deceptively light. Sami Kallio is quoted: "The webbing ensures the chair is not only light in weight, but also gives it an airy, almost transparent presence".