10.22.09 | New York, NY | Ahrend introduced the Ahrend 601, designed by Ruud-Jan Kokke. 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.

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About Ruud-Jan Kokke
The work of Ruud-Jan Kokke (1965, Velp) is distinguished by a personal style and design with an eye for detail and functionality. His designs have a high technical and visual quality combined with a sober and inventive, playful nature. Ruud-Jan Kokke is a furniture builder in the tradition of Gerrit Rietveld. He proves that shape benefits from a well-conceived construction, sound material knowledge and simple geometrical principles. Kokke started his own studio in 1986 and puts his energy into finding solutions that enhance the usability of his furniture. A number of his designs are exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Museum Boymans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Museum f r Angewandte Kunst in Cologne, and his work was published in the authoritative Design Yearbook 1998. Kokke also focuses on architectural and interior projects, as well as projects in the public space.

About Ahrend

Koninklijke Ahrend NV is an expert in the field of flexible furnishing solutions and the efficient use of space. Ahrend ensures that people can work and study professionally, pleasurably and productively by creating strikingly beautiful, functional and congenial working, learning and living environments. The company operates on an international scale, through its own business units and by successful alliances with leading market players. Ahrend has been working intensively for decades with distinguished designers and architects, such as Kees de Boer, Frans de la Haye, Friso Kramer, Meyer en Van Schooten, Wim Quist, Wijtse Rodenburg and Sigurd Rothe. The range that Ahrend markets as designer and manufacturer of timeless distinctive Dutch Design furniture comprises Revolt, Mehes, Ahrend 500, Ahrend 350, Ahrend 250 and other award-winning chairs, tables and storage systems. Ahrend has more than a century of experience in furnishing working environments. For more information, visit the website at www.ahrend.com.

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