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You know summer is in full swing when even our bathtubs are stretching their legs and kicking back, hammock-style. That's good for us. The more ways we can include that slouchy, forgiving form in our everyday lives, the more likely we are to experience the easy relaxation we associate with it. Here's hoping.
Splinter Works, a design studio headquartered 30 miles south of London, has fused two furnishings—the hammock and the bathtub—into a serious relaxation tool. Constructed from aerospace-grade carbon fiber and foam, even the woven structure evokes the tree-suspended swing. Water fills Vessel from a freestanding tap, and a drain in the floor catches suds released by way of a plug at the tub's lowest point. Like any good hammock, it's strong enough to cradle two.
Tapping similarly sturdy materials, the Leather Link Hammock by Jim Zivic Design has a curved steel frame with a leather-link sling, hanging from four industrial-looking jewel chains. To offset the metal is animal: a suede-wrapped bed layered with shearling pillows and throws. At $33,000, this is too big of an investment to enjoy anywhere but indoors.
Lighter in mood is Trinity Hammock's Infinity design, which appeals to groups of loungers by dangling a drink tray at equal arm's-length from the structure's three swooping beds. Even with the extras, its hoop design is minimal and its quilted or acrylic-yarn nets utilitarian—a nod to the modest rope and canvas that it draws from.
Infinity hammock images via Design Milk
Who says a hammock has to hang? The London-based designer Benjamin Hubert evokes the outdoor furniture's flexible body in his Cradle lounge chair, which uses a laser-cut fabric to create a sling back, framed by a steel rim. The custom mesh pattern allows the non-elastic textile to stretch just the right amount, soaking in the sitter. Cradle is one of three new furnishings for Moroso that Hubert debuted in Milan last April.
In Milan, Moroso exhibited three new Hubert designs: Talma (far left), the Net tables, and Cradle.
Above and below: Cradle prototypes in Hubert's studio
Rachel Swaby is a freelance writer and editor. She's written for Wired, Afar, O, the Oprah Magazine, Gizmodo, and others. Out in the wild she enjoys magazines, urban night hikes, games (both board & video), fiction, and facts.
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Trendlet: Reimagining the Hammock
First of all it takes a lot of space...while the actual space you can use to bathe is small. Second of all you need to build your room according to the specs of the bath. Third of all it ain't even flexible!!! So it copies the shape of a hammock but not it's functionality. & indeed the weight!!! All hanging on your wall. You'll need some badass plugs and wall to keep that thing hanging...and last but not least. It's probably more expensive than my car. Wow Once again a lovely design :( ...Core you used to be cool