The beauty of simplicity - the Pipo chair by Piegatto

We are almost always tempted to think that only solid wood can offer us maximum comfort and satisfy our desire for beauty. When it comes to furniture made of wood-based panels and boards, we consider that we are dealing with products of a lower category, dedicated to those who cannot afford solid wood furniture. But when these materials meet an exceptional designer and manufacturer, they are masterpieces. The Pipo chair, designed by Alejandro Estrada and made from plywood by Piegatto, a renowned Guatemalan furniture manufacturer, is such a masterpiece.

Alejandro was born in 1970 in Guatemala. He went to school here, graduating as an architect from Francisco Marroquin University in 1994. After graduation he went to Italy, where for two years he worked in bronze sculpture at Armando Basile's studio in Florence and then in marble at Studio di Nicola in Carrara. Returning to Guatemala, in 1997 he set up an art, sculpture and restoration studio, Estudio Pietra, where he worked until 2000, when he returned to architecture.

Initially he set up an architectural office - Substancia - specialising in the architecture of residential and commercial spaces. From the outset, the aim was to offer clients a complete service, from design to execution and total furnishing. Substancia was practically the beginning and helped him understand that a change was needed in the way of doing architecture, of creating objects. So in 2006 he founded Piegatto, an integral concept that unites architecture, art and design with parametric design. He invests in CNC (computerized) technology and this almost immediately changes the way materials are used for both architectural and art and furniture projects.

But back to the Pipo chair. Three main ideas were behind the creation of the product:

• The chair must be made entirely (legs, arms, backrest, etc.) of the same material
• Be a monolithic piece that tapers inward to form the seat and leg, and at some point opens outward to form the arms
• Maximum efficiency of wood consumption with computer technology.

In fact the last idea was the main objective of the project. So the Pipo chair was made from 2 sheets of plywood cut into 29 curved pieces.

Pipo was a trailblazer. Other models followed: Uma, Double Section, Dining S.

The principles have also been used in other pieces of furniture, such as the Corozo table.

In addition to the beauty of these pieces of furniture, I can't help but notice the importance of technology in obtaining quality products with a lot of added value. However, we are talking about furniture made from plywood. All this computerised technology which, in addition to using the material with maximum efficiency, also allows for special cuts, the most sophisticated arrangement of the component parts, while maintaining the strength and efficiency of the object, manages to add a great deal of value to the basic material. And now it has been about plywood, but I will show you soon what can be made from MDF using such technologies.

photo source: piegatto.com