A bench that immediately attracts attention, seems to move and is surprisingly comfortable. Designer Ruud-Jan Kokke explains. “I don’t want the bench to wrong-foot people, but to get them off on the right foot instead. People should be aware of the chair or bench that they are sitting on. The Ahrend 601 makes this happen – people see and experience its anomalous design straight away.”

“I am interested in materials. In their impossibilities, but in their possibilities above all. This bench is made of compressed wood, which enables the unusual curves and turns.
I had originally designed a straight version, but it was too static. So I thought, “It needs movement in it” and made it slope. Something happens then – you get so much more besides. It’s a great contrast, because the bench is for sitting on, but the bench itself looks like it’s walking!”

The Ahrend 601 is also available as stools and tables; in the same style, but in different dimensions. The basic material for the Ahrend 601 is beech, which can also be supplied in a special weatherproof version made by a patented process that impregnates the wood with a solution. The modified material is called Belmadur® and it is as durable as teak, twice as hard as oak and resistant to fungi. Belmadur® feels like normal wood and it can be normally handled, varnished or stained. The Ahrend 601 is also available in beautiful aluminium - lightweight, durable and distinctive.

Colours
Both the beech and Belmadur® versions are available in a clear lacquer finish or seven colours of stain, i.e. grey, black, red, ivory, green, turquoise or blue. The wood used comes from sustainably managed forests in Europe (PEFC certificated) and the product is consistent with Ahrend’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy as a consequence.

Applications
The Ahrend 601 can shine in countless places – in museums and other public areas, but definitely at home as well. The extensive choice of colours makes this a product that can be widely used in a variety of interior styles. The Belmadur® version of the Ahrend 601 can also be used outside, in gardens, courtyards and squares for example. Places where the Ahrend 601 can be seen include the town hall in Arnhem and the recently renovated Ahrend flagship store in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, which will be opened in style this autumn.