Bla Station: Experiment No.1 2017, 7 11

Sturdy yet flexible, with a calculated balance of
proportions, Lucky is both closed and open, with
accentuated horizontal and vertical forms: a chair
that offers a comfortable and at the same time
almost ritual seating experience. Lucky is made in
traditional materials such as oak plywood and has
an upholstered backrest and seat covered in leather
or textile.
Generously evident in all its simplicity, the monochrome
colour scheme underlines a stringent and classical
expression. ‘When I studied in London eight years
ago, I did a lot of experiments with plywood since
it was readily available at the RCA workshop.’ says
Luka Stepan. ‘I wanted to use it to achieve a touch
of flexibility in contrast to solid wood. I managed
to do this by mounting the seat at the front.’ Luka
describes Lucky as a cantilevered dining chair that,
thanks to its slightly lower back, can easily slid in
under a table to save space when not in use.
Johan Lindau met Luka last year at Salone Satellite,
the Milan Furniture Fair’s stage for young designers.
‘It would be a breach of my duty as a producer
and design manager to always go with the stars
of design, and not check out young talents’, says
Johan Lindau. ‘It’s among the students and young
yet unknown designers that you might stumble on new
ideas.’ And the fact that a producer from the north
were seduced by Luka’s design might be explained
by its distinctly Nordic feeling. ‘There is a common
history in this need to contend in a utilitarian way with
scarce resources’, says Luka Stepan. ‘As a Slovenian
I have a different background to work from because
of my country’s socialist past, but it still requires the
same intelligent attitude to researching the full
potential of the materials.
LUCKY | Luka Stepan 2017
LUCKY
Luka Stepan