Viking-Inspired Barca Bench Fuses Furniture with Boat Building Techniques

Here is a design we’d like to get cozy with. Perfect for a lazy autumn afternoon, the sculptural Barca Bench fuses furniture with boat building techniques. The piece is the work of Danish designer Jacob Joergensen, who constructed the bench from bent pieces of wood that are meticulously joined together into a sculptural, organic shape. Designed for easy assembly and disassembly, this unique seat is a modern Viking-style seat for utter relaxation.

Barca is made from ash and steel and borrows methods and practices from the art of traditional boat building. Barca was designed for easy dismantling, and its bent ash boards allow for an array of shapes from strictly symmetrical to strikingly chaotic.

This innovative design won its Copenhagen-based designer the coveted ‘Gold Leaf’ distinction at the International Furniture Design Competition Asahikawa (IFDA), in Asahikawa, Japan, a couple of years ago.

This is why the judges loved it: “It’s surprising to see a work with such a totally new idea. From the right angle, this piece has a fascinating shape that reminds me of a Viking ship…This work is not quite mature yet, but that is one of its charms. I’m excited about its creative potential.”

See more original Danish designs by Jacob Joergensen here.

Photos courtesy of Jacob Joergensen