Silver Furniture Design · 2023
Berliner Multifunctional Pouf
- A' Design Award 2023 Silver Winner in Furniture Design
- Awarded April 15, 2023
- CLIENT: Kitbox Design
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 26,527
- Verification code DD88372A49 · Verify this award
About Berliner Multifunctional Pouf
Berliner is a round seating unit with enhanced functionality for waiting lounges, offices and houses. The design provides additional storage space for magazines, books etc. in a practical and appealing way. Nestlike wooden core of the pouf stores objects securely and visibly to the user. Berliner is upholstered with faux fur for a soft velvety touch and to emphasize comfort. It is named after the famous German pastry, Berliner (A.k.a. Kraupfen), because of its resemblance.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Berliner is a large round pouf with a solid wood container unit in the middle. It's designed to store and display magazines, books etc. in a practical and appealing way. The idea was to make a seating furniture with enhanced functionality for waiting lounges, offices and houses. Wooden core is hand carved on a turning lathe, and upholstered with a faux fur for a soft velvety touch. The design is completed with two brass rings emphasizing the separation between different materials.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Dimentions: 850mm x 850mm x 470mm
Materials:
Wooden core/nest: Ayous
Frame: MDF
Metal Rings: Brass with satine finish
Upholstery: Synthetic Fur - Tags
- pouf, ottoman, magazine rack, storage unit, seating, berliner
- Production Technology
- The production process of Berliner has started with 3D printing of scaled versions of various initial forms to better evaluate the proportions. After the proportions are set, the actual production has started. The wooden core and pouf frame is hand-carved on a turning lathe from laminated wood blocks, the seating foam is hand-sculpted and upholstered. The brass rings are bent by hand and welded to fit tight. All production is a close collective work of 3 ateliers working with different materials. While the initial production is finished by hand, the design is suitable to be produced by CNC machines.
- Design Challenge
- The main challenge was to achive a reasonable weight while making a sturdy furniture with a wooden core. For that reason; the inner frame of the pouf is made out of laminated blocks by leaving the middle hollow and the core is made of ayous tree for its lightweight and ease of application. The design is seperated into two halves as top and bottom for secure and easy transportation. The top part is locked by a cental rod placed onto the bottom by simply rotating the upper half of the pouf.
- Project Duration
- The project started in February 2022 and finished in May 2022, and was exhibited in SaloneSatellite exhibition of Salone del Mobile in June 2022
- Operation Flow
- The design interacts with the user by serving an unexpected additional function. The pouf collects occasionally used items and displays them for the user to easily see and reach. In a scenario where the Berliner is placed in a waiting lounge; one can easily reach the magazines while sitting on the pouf and enjoy reading for the duration of his/her wait. Curved nestlike form of the wooden container of Berliner provides good visibility for the objects stored while securely keeping them in place. This feature makes the design a practical asset as a waiting lounge seating furniture.
- Research
- As the main function of the pouf is to be seated, ergonomics was a great concern while developing the design. Softness of the seating unit, curve radius of the edges, height and achieving an evenly weight distribution while being seated were the main objectives of the research process. As a result, two upholstered halves of Berliner is narrowing to the top and bottom, to help the person sitting on it to be placed closer to the center of gravity and not let his/her feet to touch the bottom.
- Inspiration
- In today's housing or workplace understanding, space is a thing which we all want to save. Instead of filling each void with another object, we all seek smart solutions to save some unaccompanied space for a feeling of comfort. Berliner is designed for this purpose; while taking the space that a round seating unit would fill, it serves as a space for other objects as well. It's named after the famous German pastry because of its obvious resemblance.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Mehmet Arslan
Image #2: Photographer Mehmet Arslan
Image #3: Photographer Mehmet Arslan
Image #4: Photographer Tugce Sonmez Evin
Image #5: Photographer Max Artbovich - Patents
- Registered to Tugce Sonmez Evin, 2022
Colors of Berliner Multifunctional Pouf
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G0E22 ShopDesign Interview about Berliner Multifunctional Pouf
The inspiration behind Berliner was to create a piece of furniture that gives back some of the space it holds. For this purpose, I designed Berliner with a smart storage space in its body.
The first objective was to design a comfortable seating unit as it's the main function of a pouf. The second objective was to create extra joy with its cotton-like look and playful yet distinguished solution for storage in open spaces.
I am hoping to have Berliner produced by a well-established furniture brand. I think the minimalist design of Berliner is timeless and could be an object of desire with the right approach.
Conceptualization of the design took 3 to 4 months roughly. Many mini-scale prototypes are made in this period, and 2 months of full-scale prototype production after the concept is finalized.
It was an in-house design project following an inspiration that I had. It started as a small container and evolved into a seating unit that can store everyday items.
I plan to sell or lease the production rights to a brand that I feel confident will value Berliner as I do. I own a Design Studio where I produce and sell my home decor and lighting products, but for furniture, I prefer working with a furniture brand, to be able to provide the best quality to the users.
As modern society evolves, the concept of living spaces has changed. We no longer live in huge houses but rather in smaller spaces that require smart solutions. I wanted to design a furniture that can be multifunctional but does not sacrifice the looks for this matter.
Designs of the mid-century modern style have influenced the material selection for this work. The form of Berliner can be obtained with a variety of different materials, but I thought the mixed materials of the mid-century modern style would perfectly match the simplistic and organic shape of the design.
Berliner is mainly designed for waiting lounges, office spaces, hotels, and retail stores. It's a perfect seating unit to store and display magazines, books, or any item that is usually left around in a waiting area. Then its use is expanded to houses by achieving the weight limitation to under 50kg.
Berliner takes the same space that a similar round pouf would take but creates additional space within the design.
Berliner takes its name from a famous German pastry that it resembles. Because of its white cotton-like upholstery, the similarity in looks was undeniable, so I decided to put a little smile on the faces of its users by naming it Berliner.
I used computer modeling and 3D printing when working with the proportions. It helped me precisely plan the seating angles and curvature of the inner part for storage.
Storage within sofas, ottomans, or coffee tables is always explored when designing furniture. Berliner stands out by creating a storage space by not adding elements but subtracting unnecessary fillings by carefully planning the sitting structure and making the storage accessible at any time, not closed by any lids.
I have worked with a very talented craftsman to produce the prototype of Berliner, a woodworker who carved the body of Berliner by hand on a large turning lathe.
The inner frame of the pouf is carved in CNC by calculating the approximate weight so that the product can stay within the weight limits of reasonable household use.
The main challenge was to create a firm seating unit while controlling its weight. It's carved from laminated wood blocks so it could be heavy. I decided to use the Ayous tree for Berliner because of its lightweight and sturdiness and make a hollow inner frame to eliminate any unnecessary weight.
Berliner was first exhibited in an international design exhibition, Salone Satellite in Salone del Mobile Milano 2022. It received quite positive feedback from many visitors so I wanted to apply to A'Design Award & Competition to see how it would perform. And I am deeply grateful that I did.
It was my first furniture design that is actualized, so I learnt a lot about ergonomics in furniture when designing Berliner.