Astra

August 25th, 2021 Written by: Bernhardt Design

New York , NY

Bernhardt Design introduces the Astra lounge chair designed by Cory Grosser. Blending precise geometric details with a curved silhouette, Astra is visually striking from all angles, making it an adept solution for the social atmosphere of today’s open-plan environments.

With a strong belief that design is informed by the human experience, this process was a passionate undertaking for Grosser. “I designed Astra to embody a style I like to call ‘Happy Minimalism’ which combines pure geometry with fluid, continuous lines to create an inviting appearance that isn’t at all austere,” he comments.

Astra evokes a streamlined aesthetic with clean lines and refined proportions, and is balanced with a generous seat cushion which provides the functionality and comfort desired from lounge furniture.

The strength of Astra’s design rests in the subtlety of its form, which is accentuated with a welt detail outlining the edges and back of the chair. A nod to early experiments with injected foam furniture from the 1960s, the open back was a technical challenge to engineer and produce, but the result presents a lighter appearance and
smaller scale.

Jerry Helling, President and Creative Director of Bernhardt Design, notes, “With Astra, Cory has created a chair with universal appeal that can adapt to any number of spaces. It’s remarkable he was able to design such a spacious and comfortable chair packaged in a surprisingly small footprint.”

Championing individuality, Astra offers customizable options for mixing fabrics and textures to highlight the seat, body and welt detail.

Astra is available in a swivel chair with a concealed self-return mechanism, or with a stationary base and non-marring glides. The chair may be specified in Bernhardt Textiles, fabric, leather, leather alternatives or the customer’s own material (COM).

ABOUT CORY GROSSER
Cory Grosser is an American product designer, brand strategist and educator. In 2002 he founded his studio in Los Angeles. The same year, he had his first international exhibition in Milan and secured his first consulting project from a Fortune 500 company. Since then, he has gone on to become one of America’s top independent product designers.

His career balances design work for high level European design brands, strategic consulting engagements for
large corporations and teaching the next generation of designers. His work has been featured in books and journals worldwide, including the covers of several magazines. Surface Magazine named him one of the Top Avant-Garde Designers in America” His work has appeared in television and movies in America and abroad.

Cory has won several awards, including an ID Magazine Design Review Award, Best of Neocon Award, a Gold Award at IIDEX, and an I.Dot selection representing the best of Italian Design. His work has been shown in exhibitions and museums worldwide.

Cory is active in design education as a faculty member of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. He’s taught advanced studios sponsored by Chrysler, Roxy, Honda, Ford, Indy Racing League and Bernhardt Design. He has also served as a judge in several design competitions including the 2007 Bombay Sapphire Designer Glass competition, the selection committee for the Salone Satellite in Milan and the Spark awards. He has given talks and lectures internationally in cities as diverse as Milan, Toronto and San Salvador.

Born in Rochester, NY, Cory holds an Architecture degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and an Industrial Design degree from Art Center College of Design.