At a Glance

• Who: Jules Henry, founder of Bend-based FR33FORM
• Known for: Sculptural outdoor chairs, swings and loungers
• Background: Former Apple product design engineer
• Signature philosophy: Furniture that encourages gentle movement and connection with nature

From Apple Engineer to Maker

Jules Henry was working as a product design engineer at Apple—his dream job, collaborating with a cadre of cutting-edge talent on the first iPad in 2010, a pivotal point in tech history, and the next-generation, thinner iPad. It was akin to a graduate degree in manufacturing while a revolutionary product was being developed: multiple trips to China, learning industry standards for materials sourcing, integrating complex components, innovating with big teams.

After about two years, though, he felt burned out from stress and neglect for his creative self. During one of those long flights to China in a luxurious business class seat, halfway through a glass of champagne in the pure, offline space when Wi-Fi didn’t reach most planes, he was receiving messages anyway. They were of the nondigital type, telling him to get back to the natural world and work with his hands.

A Return to Big Sur Sparks a New Direction

Soon after, his father was having heart issues, and Henry took a three-month leave to return to Big Sur to help. It was just what he needed, too. A friend taught him how to weld, and he was hooked. He began making chairs as gifts for his father and friends.

The Burning Man Chair That Launched FR33FORM

In 2012, preparing to head to Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, he built the precursor to what would become the Volo—a sculptural, curved, oversized rocking lounger made for two with folding tires and a shade canopy—in about a week. He pushed it out onto the playa and left it for anyone to experience.

“It really came through me as this offering of joy and an opportunity to be together with someone you care about,” Henry said.

The positive reaction was immediate, becoming the seed of a company. FR33FORM—the 33 a nod to numerology’s “master teacher” of spiritual upliftment of humanity—took shape, its chairs, swings, tables and sculptural stools all handcrafted in Henry’s Bend workshop.

Designing Furniture That Encourages Movement and Connection

Each creation is “a vehicle for consciousness to soar”—furniture designed to hold the body in comfort, quiet the mind and open awareness. The key is vestibular stimulation: the gentle, rhythmic movement his pieces allow—like rocking a baby, or drifting in a hammock, that lets the nervous system drop into a regulated, settled state.

“That’s our highest purpose,” he said. “Furniture that expands consciousness. A lofty goal.”

How the Vibe Chair Came to Life

That philosophy found a new expression about six years ago, when acclaimed furniture designer Charles Gibilterra came to Henry to remake a chair he’d designed in the 1970s. Henry couldn’t resist but told him that if they were to redo it, it had to move.

The result is the Vibe—an aluminum-frame chair that delivers what Henry calls freedom of movement. Where other chairs rely on concealed springs and pivots, the Vibe’s flex is built into the material itself. Aluminum gives the same yield strength as steel but with three times more movement, keeping the sitter gently, almost imperceptibly active.

While developing the chair, an idea struck: to create a frame from a single continuous piece—aesthetically pleasing and conveying the message that vital energy recirculates infinitely as we move.

“There is no beginning, and there is no end,” he said. “That’s what you see…no start point or end point to the structure, it’s looping.”

A Bend Furniture Maker’s Vision Gains Wider Recognition

The Vibe is FR33FORM’s most accessible piece yet (priced at $550, compared to $8,000 for the Volo), with implications Henry didn’t anticipate. At the massive spring High Point Market trade show in North Carolina, some visitors were moved to tears, recognizing in the chair something their neurodivergent children had been missing all along—a seat that works with the body’s natural need to move, rather than against it.

All of FR33FORM’s pieces are built for the outdoors because Henry believes nature invites what he calls “soft fascination”—a broad, effortless awareness we’re built for. His furniture, he said, is meant to meet you there. Learn more at fr33form.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Jules Henry?
Jules Henry is the founder of Bend-based furniture company FR33FORM and a former Apple product design engineer who worked on the first iPad and its successor before leaving the tech industry to pursue furniture design.

What is FR33FORM?
FR33FORM is a Bend, Oregon, furniture company that handcrafts sculptural outdoor chairs, loungers, swings and tables designed to encourage gentle movement and connection with nature.

What is the Vibe chair?
The Vibe is an aluminum-frame chair designed to flex naturally with the body, providing subtle movement without springs or mechanical pivots. It is FR33FORM’s most accessible design, priced at $550.

What inspired Jules Henry to leave Apple?
After experiencing burnout while working in product design at Apple, Henry took a leave to help care for his father in Big Sur, where he learned to weld and discovered a passion for creating furniture by hand.

Where is FR33FORM based?
FR33FORM designs and handcrafts its furniture in Bend, Oregon. Learn more and shop at fr33form.com.