Design Map · Eindhoven
Inhale
Graduation project by Finn Rosseel at Design Academy Eindhoven, 2026. Shown during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven on Design Map, location F5.
In his family’s sawmill, Finn Rosseel saw how wood gained clarity yet lost some of its natural irregularity when transformed into straight planks. This contrast led him to wonder whether the process could be reversed. So he set out to breathe character into aluminium, the coldest and most uniform material he could think of.
By welding sheets into sealed forms and inflating them with air, areas under tension bulge outward while others stay tight, creating soft curves and pockets of volume. A needle hammer adds a subtle leather-like texture that strengthens the unexpected sense of softness.
The process remains unpredictable and small tears or distortions become part of the object’s personality rather than flaws to be hidden. From these swollen shapes, the designer forms comfortable chairs and a cabinet that hold their function while revealing a gentler side of a material often seen as rigid and lifeless.