Bob Manders

In designs for both homes and furniture pieces, the actual use is always leading for Bob Manders. When designing the outdoor furniture for Borek, Bob Manders's indoor armchair served as one of the starting points. This armchair offers both seating comfort and enough space for a laptop or book: the armrests are wide enough and act as a side table, without the need to add awkward loose items. This is reflected in the Ribbon collection.

Bob Manders' door handle collection for Formani, as well as one of his modern building lines, often show a so-called Ribbon: a wide line with sharp creases that continues. In his buildings, he integrates this concept by having the floor merge into a wall, and then the wall into a ceiling, with a corner fold somewhere on this line. This feature is also reflected in his designs for Borek's Outdoor-furniture collection. In terms of design, Manders has chosen XL items that powerfully claim their place on large verandas or terraces. Simply rotating the items by 90 degrees creates a much slimmer profile: ideal for those specific corners that are slightly less wide but require more depth. The taut cords - called Ribbons - subtly refine the XL design. They form a bridge to the rope-formed Beanbags and dining chairs from the rest of the Borek collection. Manders' starting point was mainly to combine with these more organic and rounded models, and occasionally add a beautiful hammock or rocking chair on the veranda.