Ondarreta and Ferrán Adrià Collaborate on Designing Chefs' Dream Chair

Renowned chef Ferran Adrià, celebrated for his revolutionary cuisine at elBulli, has collaborated with Ondarreta, the Gipuzkoan furniture company that won Spain’s National Design Award in 2023, to design “the chef’s chair”. This partnership, managed with Ondarreta directors Nadia and Nora Arratibel, addresses the historical need for chefs to have a comfortable and practical seat.

Adrià explained how chefs, even in the most prestigious restaurants, often had to eat quickly while sitting on stacked soda crates. This inspired the design of a chair that meets their specific needs: comfortable, lightweight, easy to clean, stackable, and affordable. The Swedish studio Note took on the design, creating a chair that not only fulfills these requirements but also features a translucent ‘fumé’ finish, a nod to fire, an essential element in gastronomy.

The chair, launched late last year, is designed to be ergonomic, versatile, and durable, fitting seamlessly into any culinary space. The collaboration with elBullifoundation and Ondarreta enabled the exploration of new materials and technologies, reflecting the ongoing evolution of dining habits.

Adrià, who hadn’t taken on a furniture design challenge in over 20 years, expressed his excitement for the project, emphasizing the collective expertise and teamwork with his staff and the Ondarreta family, with whom he shares a long-standing friendship.

For Nadia and Nora Arratibel, this collaboration has been both a challenge and an opportunity to reconnect with Ondarreta’s core values. “We are pleased with the result and confident that it will live up to the magic of elBulli1846,” they said.

The special Supra Fumé edition, created for elBulli1846 but available for any project, features chairs and stools with a distinctive Fumé finish. This design, a creative adaptation of Note’s original Supra collection, is suitable for various culinary environments as well as other contract projects like offices, hotels, and residences. The translucent polypropylene single-shell chair comes in several colors that subtly change with the light.

Ondarreta, with its long tradition in woodworking, continues to explore new horizons, creating furniture that is both functional and aesthetically appealing, meeting contemporary needs.