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objects of design: furniture prototype

Last Friday I was invited by my teacher/thesis adviser, Prof. Tess Quevedo, to sit-in during the deliberations for her furniture design class’ final project. The students were grouped into four teams and were assigned to design a chair prototype. The design problem was to come up with a chair that exemplifies a strong sense of form. Prof. Quevedo said that the idea was to avoid imitating existing designs or drawing from preceding styles.

The students were given two months for the design and fabrication of their chairs. Aside from being able to come up with a unique concept and design, the project aimed to give the students the chance to apply what they have learned about anthropometrics, drafting shop drawings, and production management and supervision.

For the first group, they presented their Nautilus Chair which is made of abaca rope on welded steel frame. It is inspired by the organic form and growth pattern of the nautilus shell.

I like the form of the chair. The design is unique but, like what they say in fashion, it is “wearable”. It can fit into the design of many contemporary interiors. Our only comment was that the seat height, with the cushion on it, is a bit high for a Filipino standard of a lounge chair. For me, the height is more comfortable without the cushion.

The second group designed the upholstered Lava Chair. The concept is based on the movement, color and temperature of the lava.

The chair is very comfortable in terms of its dimensions and the type materials used (foam and fabric). However, the form is nothing new. I guess the concept was applied heavily on the details–the color and print of the fabric and the grillework–rather than on the form. In other words, if you change the fabric and remove the grillework, the design was just another tub chair. But among the four designs, the Lava Chair has the highest potential of being marketable.

The third group turns to the outer space for their design concept. Their Alien Chair is based on a typical image of an alien with three fingers.

The appearance of the chair is pretty intimidating because of its scale and proportion. Like the Nautilus Chair, it is made of abaca rope on a steel framework. The rope was stained with automotive oil, which gives its charcoal gray color.

The industrial-looking Reveal Chair of the last group is inspired by x-ray images.

Made of woven polyethylene strips on a thick steel frame, the design aimed to defy the idea of a chair as a solid form. Looking at it, the form is just a group or a web of lines. I personally love the chair’s concept. I just wish they simplified the design and took out the X at the back. Also, the chair could have been comfortable if the seat depth was made a bit longer.

Honestly, I was impressed with all the designs that they were able to generate. No offense to my batchmates, but the designs we had in our class when I was in college was just terrible compared to these four. So, congratulations to Prof. Quevedo and to her students for a job well done!