Like the wheels of a bicycle, random topics that come full circle – slinking in and out of our consciousness from a multitude of sources – are enough to stop us dead in our tracks. Whether you pay attention to signs or are a believer of serendipity, today was the day that I could do nothing but pay attention to the Acciaio Series by Max Lipsey.

Acciaio. Designed by Max Lipsey.

Using the Same Materials As a Steel Bike Frame, Max Lipsey Brings Modern Seating Full Circle with the Acciaio Series

Just before I hit the slopes for some snowboarding today, I saw the series of three lightweight steel chairs that were inspired by the bicycle that Lipsey will introduce at next month’s Salone Internazionale del Mobile. With a massive passion for the sport of road cycling, I looked into the angular seating collection a bit further. Not that it is a difficult design to figure out, but it takes knowing his history as a Colorado native who took to the cycling inspiration of the Netherlands. In its light and sporty style, his combined use of aluminum and leather for the seat and the steel (or “acciaio” in italian) tubes of its structure, it almost looks like the bike that HTC-Highroad rider Mark Cavendish dipped into Heinrich Haussler with during the final sprint of Stage 4 at the Tour de Suisse last June.

But whether you’re a cycling fan or not, there are many things to appreciate about the Acciaio Series that includes a stool, dining chair, and lounge chair. First of all, you can choose between sixteen different colors that include everything from a celery green called “Emilio” to a deep shade of violet known as “Horace”. Lipsey used the names of sixteen classic bike builders to cleverly represent the different color options. With pre-ordering starting now, the small batch of chairs that Lipsey welds in his Eindhoven shop can be seen from April 12- 17th at the Rossignoli Bicycle shop (Corso Garibladi 71, Milan).

Striking like a classic racing bike, Lipsey carries the beauty of steel welding into his Acciaio Series seating collection and replaces the technical features of bicycle building with a creative repurposing of materials into a brand new form.