Stick to the Ribs

Furniture designer, Stefan Lie, is Aussie by birth, but grew up in Switzerland.

Returning to Australia at an early age, Lie completed a Bachelor of Industrial Design at UTS, Sydney, and the famous 'Ribs' - a moulded wooden bench resting on an aluminium spine - was launched in 1998, the same year he graduated.

Lie took 'Ribs' into production, and it was launched by leading Australian furniture retailer dedece. Not a bad start for a fresh design graduate.

'Ribs' has since been purchased by Sydney's Powerhouse Museum where it is included in its permanent collection of Decorative Arts and Design.

While working in design academia, Lie has also produced a range of outstanding furniture pieces. In 2002, his Swell Lounge, Strip Screen and Thong Stool were launched in dedece's Sydney and Melbourne showrooms.

And proving the sticking power of the 'Ribs', the Spiral/Wacoal Art Centre in Japan recently commissioned an aluminium version of the celebrated piece (see image below).

Can't wait to see what comes next.

Stefan Lie also conducts a master-class in furniture design for international post-graduate students at UTS.

http://www.stefan-lie.com