Stedelijk Museum
Designer
Paul Cornet
Location
Netherlands
The Stedelijk Chair is the first chair by Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis. Commissioned by the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, renowned for its design collection, the Stedelijk Chair was born from a specific need—to create a timeless seat for the Stedelijk Museum’s new entrance sculpture hall and bar area designed by architect Paul Cournet. Crafted in aluminum, its flowing lines and sculptural quality reflect Marcelis’s minimalist yet bold style. A design that seamlessly complements the museum’s renewed spaces.
The Stedelijk Chair was born from a specific architectural need: to furnish the newly renovated sculpture entrance, and bar of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, one of the world’s leading institutions for contemporary art and design. The museum, together with architect Paul Cournet, required a chair that was timeless, lightweight, stackable, durable, and suitable for both indoor and outdoor use—while also aligning with the institution’s sustainability values. Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis was invited to take on the challenge, marking her first exploration into chair design. The result had to integrate seamlessly across different spaces in the museum, reflect the clean lines of the architecture, and carry Marcelis’s signature sculptural sensibility.
BD Barcelona was selected as the industrial partner to lead the technical development and manufacturing of the project. Our role exemplifies the service we offer to architects and designers: the development and industrialization of exclusive, fully customized designs. In this case, the process began with the initial sketches by Marcelis and spatial requirements set by Cournet. From there, our team translated the concept into a feasible industrial product, preserving its proportions and sculptural flow while adapting it to rigorous production standards.
Aluminum was chosen as the project’s core material for its durability, strength-to-weight ratio, recyclability, and the soft, refined tactility achievable through powder coating. Throughout the process, several prototypes were produced and tested in situ at the museum to fine-tune the geometry, performance, and finish. The result is a high-performance chair that meets the demands of a public institution without sacrificing the elegance of its sculptural origin.
Fully stackable, fire- and weather-resistant, and 100% recyclable, the Stedelijk Chair combines material intelligence with formal clarity. It adapts effortlessly to different architectural contexts while maintaining a strong, understated identity.
This project reflects BD Barcelona’s approach to collaboration: bridging design vision with industrial execution.
