O50 Tub Chair by Schamburg & Alvisse

Touted as pioneers of the sustainable furniture movement, Marc Schamburg and Michael Alvisse are an award-winning design team making waves in the Australian furniture industry.

Schamburg graduated from UTS with a Bachelor of Design, whilst Alvisse completed a Bachelor of Architecture from Curtin University. Both applied their knowledge in their respective industries (Schamburg working with interiors across varied commercial fit-out projects, and Alvisse in architecture) and with some project overlaps came the inevitable discovery of their shared design values.

One of these shared ideals is the notion of sustainability in design, and in 1997 their Sydney design studio, Schamburg & Alvisse, was born, with the intention of creating eco-certified furniture for corporate, commercial and bespoke projects. This foundation of sustainability saw the pair push the boundaries of green design long before the rest of the industry took notice of green standards. “It’s just become part of our design process now,” they comment, “So it’s almost second nature: if a product meets a need but isn’t sustainable, then does it really meet the need?” 

Their leadership in this field has seen them receive multiple awards and spearhead conversations with like-minded architects and designers, tackling such issues as improving indoor air quality and conserving fast dwindling natural resources.

With a rigorous and dedicated design process, Schamburg & Alvisse have built a reputation for producing functional, sustainable and beautifully designed furniture. Some of their pieces sit in the permanent collection of Sydney's Powerhouse Museum, and have been exhibited in Milan's Triennale Museum, San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art, and the Melbourne Museum.

With a reputation like theirs, it is no wonder that in 2012 the prolific design team joined forces with Australian furniture stalwarts, Zenith Interiors. This union saw Schamburg & Alvisse adding its designs to Zenith’s portfolio, and bolstering the partnership with their extensive industry knowledge and expertise. Zenith has supported and continued the business’ commitment to sustainability, working to ensure their design and manufacturing process has as little impact on the environment as possible.

Much of Schamburg & Alvisse’s work is spawned from of the idea of ‘agility’. These days, as work environments change quickly and decisively, people are looking for solutions that support flexibility and mobility. For this reason their focus is on designing products that are multi-purpose, modular and can be easily moved or rearranged as teams and office spaces evolve. 

The O50 Tub Chair is a fine example. From an early Schamburg & Alvisse collection, this chair is comfort, mobility and style all wrapped up into one modern aesthetic. Encapsulating all the ideals of the Schamburg & Alvisse ethos, it features a generous seat and back surface area so you have room to move, and is upholstered and cushioned in the highest quality materials to ensure maximum comfort. The chair is height adjustable and sits on a five star base of polished aluminium, with castors for easy moving.

We are lucky to have 2 colourways of the O50 currently available, upholstered in a fabric of woollen feel. A stylish understated grey that will slip easily into any environment, and a red for a pop of colour.

This chair has an effortless style that will fit in anywhere, so for your office desk, meeting rooms, breakout areas or for around the boardroom table, you can’t go past a functional, sustainable, design beauty like this one from Schamburg & Alvisse.