Bend Goods is a Los Angeles based designs studio
that manufactures chairs, tables, and furnishings for work,
home, and community.

We revolutionized the wire furniture industry with the
introduction of the Lucy chair, which has received noteworthy
recognition with the inclusion into LACMA’s permanent collection.
Our chairs are also featured in John Lautner’s architectural
masterpiece, the Sheats-Goldstein residence.

Founded in 2010 by Gaurav Nanda, a sculptor, a visual designer,
who had an interest in combining elements of minimalism with utility.
Nanda’s works are formulated from different shapes while
shifting scale and form. His distinctive lines emerged from
his drawing practice, vibrant use of color and modern gestures.

As a youngster, Nanda was surrounded by creativity with parents
who both had an entrepreneurial spirit. In his formative years
he began to experiment with different mediums of artwork and fell
in love with pottery. Nanda's love of crafting designs from clay
stayed with him throughout his life, but as he advanced in his
education he encountered a life long dilemma that every
twenty-something has to confront: getting a job.

Upon graduating from Purdue University, studied 3D Modeling
& Animation and then eventually he took a position as an
Automotive Sculptor for General Motors where Nanda designed
and built vehicle models both by hand and by using new computer
technology. This aspect of the job allowed him to understand the
application of technical functionality to art and design. Sculpture and
modeling were no longer just a way to aesthetically express himself,
but rather a way to make his imaginative designs a reality. Seven years
later Nanda found himself at a crossroads: either stay at his job
and continue on the corporate track or take a risk and pursue a career
in the design world. We bet you can guess what happened…

One day it struck him: furniture is functional artwork and wire is a
medium easily used to form shapes and could structurally hold a person.
He dived into making furniture out of wire. A couple years, many prototypes,
and a move to Los Angeles later - Bend Goods was born. Those original
designs focused on integrating distinct patterns, comfort, color and
versatility into furniture and accessories made of wire. As we expanded
our line from one chair to hundreds of products we always stayed
true to those original intentions established by Nanda.

We are known for our bending of wire into functional objects.
The metal itself has a cold industrial feel but we try to bring out
the beauty in it. Pushing the metal to its limits is super exciting!
You can bend it easily, arrange it, weld it into different forms and finish
it in many colors. Flexible and lightweight, wire is always up for the
challenge of coming up with a new shape. Its strength and durability
make it possible to engineer intricate constructions like furniture that
is strong enough to hold a human. We use a combination of complex,
and sometimes rudimentary shapes that allows us to create small to
larger scale pieces that defy what you would expect in furniture.

When lightning strikes, it’s time for another napkin sketch—rough
doodles that make an idea a little more tangible. These napkin sketches go
to our 3D designer to play with form and shape. Here, we find ourselves
in a back and forth, a Waltz if you will.

“Inspiration comes from anywhere: nature. Design. People. Music.
Like when you hear a new beat, and you’re suddenly inspired
to dive deep in your own work, motivated more than ever.”

- Gaurav Nanda

It’s not uncommon that we want something that seems like it
can’t be done. We play with digital models, drawing and redrawing until
we reach that Aha moment. Once we feel good about our digital models,
we create cardboard samples that inform the shape, size, and look
of what will be our first metal prototype.

Once we’ve created a metal prototype, we bend backwards for
especially the tiniest details—The closeness of each wire. The thickness
of the metal. The shapes that make it interesting. The curves that
make it comfortable. Getting the right shape, or the correct proportions
is the reward that we’re chasing. It’s like a hit of dopamine. It’s only
then, once we’ve fallen in love with our model, that we are ready
for a production run.


“My passion in life is really to design things. It’s the process
of designing something, changing it, evaluating, and changing more…
how much further can I push a design that is not exactly abstract
or non-useful? How can this be a both functional and fresh look at design?”

- Gaurav Nanda