Although Guilermo Bernal holds an architecutre degree his fascination with reptile’s skins and fruits with a tough skin brought him to spending his days working with the duality and poetics that are involved in such complex systems. The tough skin of an avocado or a cantaloupes are primarily designed to protect the fruit from the penetration of pesticides or to prevent insect damage or in the reptile’s case, as a way to reduce moisture loss. Function vs rough beauty leads him to the design of the ‘Exocarp’ chair.
Using birch plywood, the specialities of a noise algorithm to generate the irregular texture and advanced digital fabrication he separates the surface areas by making parts that touch the body really smooth and the other parts, where an extrinsic agent might try to approach the chair, really textured and irregular. By layering the material and paying close attention to detail, a more personal product can be achieved through digital means, as opposed to a generic and utilitarian form.

All images © Michael Villardi | Via: Design-Milk