STRATUM - Making the impossible possible

It was the wonder of Alpine folding that inspired the designer Ueli Kürschner to create the new collection. The complexity observed on his hikes through the Swiss Alps was to be expressed in STRATUM. With the noble material of the Swiss walnut wood, helvetisch succeeded in creating an analogy between the slow, steady folding of the Alps and the comparatively slow growth of walnut trees and making it visible in his work. This complexity, which characterises the Swiss natural landscape, is taken up with the use of rare Swiss walnut wood and thematised with its lively surface structure. With STRATUM, helvetisch once again succeeded in creating a contemporary interpretation of the Swiss mountain world - this time made of bent, solid walnut wood.

Making the impossible possible
The resulting table made of solid Swiss walnut wood is characterised by its extremely curved table base, which reflects the variety of layers of Alpine folding. STRATUM was a typical "nice idea, but unfortunately not feasible" project at the beginning. The curved table bases were to be repositioned with solid bentwood. Although the best specialists with over 80 years of experience in wood bending and experienced master carpenters were involved, there were several challenges to overcome, including bending wood only in one direction, the S-shape desired by the Swiss designer has never been implemented so far because they are considered impossible. The extremely narrow radii are actually not feasible with solid wood. And if not everything is done correctly - from the choice of wood, the grain flow, to the sufficiently long steam bath and pressure during the bending process and the precisely defined drying process - then the wood breaks and everything is lost.

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The makers went to the limits of the art of wood bending and beyond: The materialisation, dimensions, radii and fastening details were carefully evaluated and selected. None of the 1000 existing bending forms could be used in production, a new one had to be made. After an almost hour-long steam bath, the wood was bent into shape with 10 tons of pressure. Thanks to the highest craftsmanship and a lot of sensitivity, the drawn design could be turned into reality with the bending radius of the wood, which many connoisseurs believed to be too strong. With great skill and many years of experience, the carpenter was able to carefully assemble the bentwood parts, which testifies to the highest level of competence. 

The stubbornness of the helvetisch designers, the intensive cooperation, the will of all involved to go to the limits of what is feasible and the application of the best wood techniques have overcome the challenges. The result is an artwork with absolute uniqueness and sovereignty.

helvetisch is program
helvetisch is not only about achieving optical perfection in the artwork, but also about understanding where it comes from and what kind of story it has to tell. It is nature that supplies the young company with the raw material. For STRATUM, the carful selected solid walnut wood from the heart of Switzerland was used. There, embedded in gentle hills and surrounded by an idyllic lake landscape, it grew over many years. The lively surface structure of the valuable Swiss walnut wood underlines the structures of Alpine folding and thus the origin of inspiration for the helvetisch STRATUM console. The precious wood of the walnut tree is a rare beauty, which is why a new walnut tree is planted every time it is felled.

STRATUM - Expression of timeless riches
With the STRATUM console, helvetisch forms artworks of high sophistication and simple elegance, which are conceptually well thought-out, rich in content and versatile, exquisite in material selection and masterfully crafted - an expression of timeless riches.

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