Readers of this magazine may not know the name Kristian Arens but will certainly have heard of Redman Whiteley Dixon, the U.K.-based yacht design firm where Arens works as an exterior designer.
Similarly, the name Clive Johnson may sound new, but his work includes delivering advanced composite products such as the free-standing masts aboard the 468-foot Nobiskrug sailing yacht A.
Together, Arens and Johnson have created Essence of Strength, a company dedicated to creating carbon-composite furniture that seems to defy gravity. The team starts with simple structural forms and contrasts them with luxury materials, creating pieces that can be bespoke, limited edition or semicustom.
And while most furniture-makers offer their creations for commercial or residential use, Essence of Strength does those things while also specifically designing for yacht owners, drawing on Arens’ experience working with owners who have built some of the most elegant superyachts around the globe.
Essence of Strength calls the limited-edition chair above, simply, its chaise lounge. The piece is finished in leather but made primarily of carbon composite — in a cantilevered form that, the company says, would not be possible to achieve with any other construction material. The result, according to the company, is “the ultimate celebration of how material engineering is beautiful.”
Additional offerings include a director’s chair, a high stool and a bench in several sizes, with the high stool going by the name Cobra for its overall look. It’s finished in a bamboo veneer, mimicking the use of various wood tones in the interior designs aboard yachts today.
