Pushing the application of composites in new territories, Talon recently exhibited at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York. Enjoying great success and generating a lot of interest, Talon showcased the V2.3 prototype along with the Pow Stool and the Talon Table, all constructed entirely from composites and competitively priced.
The US furniture market is worth an estimated US$118 Billion annually, with almost US$15 Billion spent on contract furniture alone. Most of the materials used in the contract furniture market are traditional materials such as plastic, aluminium, steel or wood, with little or no presence of modern materials such as Carbon fibre or reinforced glass. If composites were to take a 1% stake in the contract furniture market it would be worth $US15 million annually.
Speaking at the Metropolis Magazine Conference to designers, architects and furniture industry professionals at ICFF, Geoff Germon explained the problems did not lie with technology or cost so much as industry awareness and the lack of knowledge to designers creating the furniture. Modern manufacturing techniques and the falling cost of composites make composites a viable if not superior material to construct furniture with, but the designers and manufacturers have little or no awareness of composites, their attributes and how to design furniture that utilises these attributes best.
Geoff Germon explains "we saw in the early 90's pieces such as Alberto Meda's Softlite Chair, but these were low volume "art pieces", a lot has changed in composites technology since then and we at Talon have for some time felt composites are a superior material for many applications including furniture".
The US furniture market is worth an estimated US$118 Billion annually, with almost US$15 Billion spent on contract furniture alone. Most of the materials used in the contract furniture market are traditional materials such as plastic, aluminium, steel or wood, with little or no presence of modern materials such as Carbon fibre or reinforced glass. If composites were to take a 1% stake in the contract furniture market it would be worth $US15 million annually.
Speaking at the Metropolis Magazine Conference to designers, architects and furniture industry professionals at ICFF, Geoff Germon explained the problems did not lie with technology or cost so much as industry awareness and the lack of knowledge to designers creating the furniture. Modern manufacturing techniques and the falling cost of composites make composites a viable if not superior material to construct furniture with, but the designers and manufacturers have little or no awareness of composites, their attributes and how to design furniture that utilises these attributes best.
Geoff Germon explains "we saw in the early 90's pieces such as Alberto Meda's Softlite Chair, but these were low volume "art pieces", a lot has changed in composites technology since then and we at Talon have for some time felt composites are a superior material for many applications including furniture".
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