The Traverse chair is the basic module of the collection designed by Erwan Bouroullec for HAY: a heat-treated ash slatted seat set on a die-cast aluminium frame, designed to accompany the Traverse table for outdoor dining.An ash, an aluminiumChair: backrest/seat in oiled solid heat-treated ash, d...
The Traverse chair is the basic module of the collection designed by Erwan Bouroullec for HAY: a heat-treated ash slatted seat set on a die-cast aluminium frame, designed to accompany the Traverse table for outdoor dining.
An ash, an aluminium
Chair: backrest/seat in oiled solid heat-treated ash, die-cast aluminium frame: “die-cast aluminium frame with slatted seat in heat-treated ash,” according to the HAY product sheet.
Heat-treated ash, designed for the outdoors
Traverse combines a die-cast aluminium frame with slats of solid ash that have been heat-treated and then oiled. Rolf Hay, co-founder of the company, explains this choice: “Teak wood and other rainforest woods are excellent for outdoor use, but it is not necessarily a responsible material choice. Believe it or not, this is actually ash wood, which normally has a lighter colour, but by heating it, it turns brown, drawing out weatherproof qualities and allowing the furniture to better withstand the outdoors.” Erwan Bouroullec describes how the collection ages: “You could leave it anywhere and it will age very nicely: Traverse will enjoy the rain and the sun, and step by step it will start to melt into the space.”
Traverse is delivered as a kit to be assembled by the user: “Traverse is meant to be built by the person who is acquiring it; people will create an emotional link to the object that they produce, and later, use,” according to Bouroullec. Rolf Hay adds, regarding the price of the collection: “In the end, we have relatively expensive materials here. But by producing efficiently, we can keep the range democratically priced.”
