Zhipeng Tan creates provocative furniture with metal alloys that merges abstraction and Pop art with forms inspired by the natural world. The contemporary Chinese designer’s chairs and stools are topped with seats that mimic the shapes of flower petals, while the graceful legs of his audacious polished brass side tables and dining tables resemble molten gold.
Tan graduated from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou with a degree in industrial design. Enamored with the organic silhouettes that populate the great outdoors, he grew increasingly interested in sculpture and drew on natural forms in his work, with molded brass as his vehicle for expression. Tan employs the ancient technique of lost-wax casting, which sees metal objects and furnishings cast from wax models. He then trims, welds and polishes the parts to craft tables and seating that are distinctive and unconventional works of art-furniture that are wholly sculptural but serve a functional purpose in one’s living room. In 2015, Tan cofounded the Shanghai-based Mán-Mán Studio with Daishi Luo, a furniture designer and sculptor who studied metal art at Huafan University in Taiwan.
Tan is known for his brass 33 Step chair, which draws heavily on the human anatomy and is named for the 33 vertebrae found in the human spine. Many of his console and coffee tables appear as though the metal table top has reverted to its molten state, with a range of droplet-shaped brass forms at each corner serving as table legs, while smaller elements are “suspended” inches above the floor along the table's underside, creating a striking visual effect.
Many have suggested that Tan’s influences include English sculptor Henry Moore, Catalan artist Joan Miró and Japanese Pop artist Takashi Murakami. Notable firms such as Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Ingrao Inc. and David Scott Interiors have purchased his semi-abstract creations, and Tan’s work can be found in the collections of the Columbus Museum of Art, the HE Art Museum and the Centre Pompidou.
Find Zhipeng Tan furniture on 1stDibs.
$50,000 / item
Lotus Sofa Polished Stainless Steel by Zhipeng Tan
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Tan’s practice, since graduating from the China Academy of Art, has been focused on the ancient technique of lost-wax casting. This ancient foundry process has created an intersectio...
Stainless Steel
$50,000 / item
Lotus Sofa Polished Stainless Steel by Zhipeng Tan
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Tan’s practice, since graduating from the China Academy of Art, has been focused on the ancient technique of lost-wax casting. This ancient foundry process has created an intersectio...
Stainless Steel
$2,099Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 37.75 in W 74.75 in D 29.5 in
Kartell Uncle Jack Sofa by Philippe Starck
By Kartell, Philippe Starck
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Kartell presents Uncle Jack, the revolutionary single mould transparent polycarbonate sofa signed by Philippe Starck. It is 190 cm long in a single block we...
Plastic
$17,500 / item
H 37.41 in W 19.69 in D 15.75 in
Polished Brass "33 Step" Bar Chair/Stool by Zhipeng Tan
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Tan’s practice, since graduating from the China Academy of Art, has been focused on the ancient technique of lost-wax casting. This ancient foundry process has created an intersection between Tan’s interest in heritage casting techniques and organic forms. The forms designed by Tan vary from being environmental (water drops, tree roots) to being figurative (spinal cords, pelvic structures). The Lily collection brings together the botanical and human motifs most explicitly. The tension between the two references cause the works to become abstracted and take on a slightly surreal quality, whilst maintaining functionality. The 33 Step chair...
Brass
$2,940Sale Price|40% Off
H 27 in W 64 in D 36 in
1970's Italian Tufted Leather Sofa by Ambienti Bernini
Located in Hanover, MA
SATURDAY SALE Very comfortable lounging sofa made in Italy by Ambienti Bernini. It reminds me of the Mario Bellini "le Bambole" sofa but with tufte...
Upholstery
Polished Brass 33 Step Chair by Zhipeng Tan
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Tan’s practice, since graduating from the China Academy of Art, has been focused on the ancient technique of lost-wax casting. This ancient foundry process has created an intersection between Tan’s interest in heritage casting techniques and organic forms. The forms designed by Tan vary from being environmental (water drops, tree roots) to being figurative (spinal cords, pelvic structures). The Lily collection brings together the botanical and human motifs most explicitly. The tension between the two references cause the works to become abstracted and take on a slightly surreal quality, whilst maintaining functionality. The 33 step chair...
Brass
Knot Brazilian Contemporary Foam Sofa by Lattoog
By Lattoog
Located in Sao Paolo, BR
This sofa/pouf is characterized by a flexible linear structure tied in a knot shape. The 'Knot' was the first piece created by the duo Leonardo Lattavo and Pedro Moog, when designing furniture was still seen as a hobby by both of them. A few years later, when they came across the cover of an Italian magazine that showed a piece of furniture by the Campana brothers (the Boa sofa...
Fabric, Upholstery
1950s Swedish Velvet Samspel Sofa by Carl Malmsten
By Carl Malmsten
Located in London, England
Carl Malmsten 'Samspel' Sofa, circa 1950s First designed in 1956 and produced by AB Record in Bollnas, Sweden, the 'Samspel' sofa is one of the finest pieces to be drawn by Sweden...
Wool, Cotton, Beech
$10,920 / item
H 28 in W 75 in D 34 in
Double-Seat Sofa in Milled Black Leather and Oiled Laser-Cut Steel
By Klein Agency
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The sofa double is guilty as charged. Doubling the fun of Klein Agency's sofa Single, this contemporary piece is utilizing the same bulging pillow forms. The double allows ample room...
Cut Steel
$9,705 / item
H 33.47 in W 63 in D 35.44 in
Velvet, Bronzed Steel, Brass and Ostrich Feather, Ostrich Fluff Sofa
By Egg Designs
Located in Bothas Hill, KZN
This sofa is part of the Ostrich Fluff collection designed by Egg Designs and manufactured in South Africa. The sofa is constructed in two section, these are connected via three bronzed steel brackets which are then fixed with solid brass pins. The velvet upholstered seat section is finished off with a colored, delicate genuine ostrich feather skirt...
Brass, Steel
Customizable Artifort Bras Sofa by Khodi Feiz
By Artifort
Located in New York, NY
The bras invites you to make yourself comfortable, and embraces you. Reclining and taking it easy, or sitting cosily in a corner, enjoy the relaxation and comfort offered by this bea...
Textile
Saturno Sofa by Gastone Rinaldi for RIMA, Italy
By Gastone Rinaldi
Located in Seattle, WA
Designed in 1958, the Saturno Sofa was one of the most iconic designs by Gastone Rinaldi, a prominent figure in Italian design alongside Gio Ponti, Ettore...
Steel
Customizable Artifort Ondo Sofa by René Holten
By Rene Holten, Artifort
Located in New York, NY
Rising from the arm, the seat and back fuse together into the other arm. Simple principles provide the best design for a comfortable sofa. A sparse supporting frame allows the seat a...
Textile
Customizable Artifort Bras Sofa by Khodi Feiz
By Artifort
Located in New York, NY
The Bras invites you to make yourself comfortable, and embraces you. Reclining and taking it easy, or sitting cosily in a corner, enjoy the relaxation and comfort offered by this bea...
Textile