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Silhouette Verstelbare Stoel deur Jonah Rappaport

Die ontwerp Silhouette Verstelbare Stoel deur Jonah Rappaport is 'n hoogs gewaardeerde wenner van die baie prestigieuese 2026 A' Design Award in Silwer in die Meubelontwerp-kompetisiekategorie.


SilwerMeubels· 2026

Silhouette Verstelbare Stoel

deur Jonah Rappaport

Kliënt: Jonah Rappaport

Wenner van die A' Design Award in Silwer in die Meubels-kategorie

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Geverifieerde Toekenningswenner

Verifieer Toekenningsstatus vir #177693

Kleure

Die Ontwerp

Oor Silhouette Verstelbare Stoel

Silhouette is 'n verstelbare stoel wat tussen 'n leunstoel, ruskstoel en chaise longue verander deur die herrangskikking van sy primêre elemente. In plaas daarvan om op blootgestelde meganismes of verborge hardeware onder die stoffering te steun, verander dit deur die rolle van dieselfde sigbare komponente wat die stoel in elke posisie definieer, te herbenoem. Met sy elegante, beeldhouagtige vorm en duidelike strukturele uitdrukking bied Silhouette 'n eietydse alternatief vir konvensionele verstelbare sitplek.

Die Erkenning

Oor die A' Design Award in Silwer

Silhouette Verstelbare Stoel is 'n wenner van die A' Design Award in Silwer, 'n buitengewoon prestigieuse erkenning wat toegeken word aan topklas-, pragtige en indrukwekkende ontwerpe. Wenners in Silwer is geweldig briljante en uiters kreatiewe werke wat die uitstaande kundigheid, talent en skerpsinnigheid van hul ontwerpers illustreer. Daar word verwag dat Silhouette Verstelbare Stoel 'n wonderlike vertoonstuk is wat merkwaardig professioneel en diepgaande innoverend is. Hierdie ontwerp wat die A' Design Award in Silwer gewen het, is 'n hoogs noemenswaardige, bewonderde uitvinding wat die grense van kuns, wetenskap, ontwerp en tegnologie bevoordeel en uitbrei. Silhouette Verstelbare Stoel is 'n wyd beny skepping wat begeertes oproep, positiewe gevoelens bring en verbasing en verwondering wek.

Agter die Ontwerp

Persstel

Krediete, spanlede en tegniese besonderhede verskaf deur die ontwerper.

Unieke Eienskappe
Silhouette is a transformable chair that shifts between an armchair, lounge chair and chaise lounge. Its defining feature is that the structure itself performs the transformation. In the chaise, the suspended headrest and legrest rotate to become load-bearing supports in the armchair, and vice versa. The chair changes function through structural reconfiguration rather than added mechanisms, and in each state the form reads as complete and resolved.
Afmetings & Verpakking
Approx. 545 mm x 900 mm x 860 mm (armchair configuration) and 545 mm x 1400 mm x 780 mm (chaise lounge configuration).

Materials: Baltic birch plywood; steel sheet metal; steel rods; aluminum tubing; custom mechanical locking components; rubber gaskets; black powder-coated steel washers and elongated hex nuts; and leather-upholstered cushions.

Finished with a true black stain and clear polyurethane coating.

All moving connections are metal to metal, with no glue or permanent bonds between joints, allowing the chair to be fully disassembled, repaired, and reassembled without degrading the wood elements.
Etikette
convertible chair, transformable furniture, adaptive design, experimental furniture, contemporary chair design, multifunctional seating, sculptural minimalism, craftsmanship, human-centered design
Produksietegnologie
Developed through multiple full-scale prototypes, the geometry, proportions, and biomechanics were refined so that each configuration provides appropriate seat depth, height, and support, rather than functioning as a compromise between positions. After extensive hand drawings and scale models, a precise digital twin was developed before fabrication. The chair’s wood components were laser-cut, hand-routed, sanded, and stained, while custom sheet-metal components and steel rods were cut, manually threaded, welded and finished by hand.
Ontwerpuitdaging
Three main challenges defined the project. Conceptually, the chair had to function and appear resolved in multiple configurations while allowing elements such as the headrest and legrest to shift structural roles. Mechanically, suspended components required the development of a concealed locking system capable of resisting human load without visible hardware or auxiliary mechanisms. Fabrication demanded precise tolerances, extensive prototyping and iterative refinement to reconcile structural performance with formal clarity.
Navorsing
This project is an experimental study on adaptable seating. The objective was to create a single chair that can be transformed to support multiple postures without relying on exposed mechanisms or hiding them beneath upholstery. The methodology combined precedent analysis, including measuring and cataloguing existing chairs and chaise lounges, with hand drawing, digital and physical modeling, and full-scale prototyping. Peers participated in use tests of successive prototypes to analyse and help improve comfort, balance and proportion. The research demonstrates that adaptability in furniture can be achieved without compromising structural clarity or formal integrity, expanding the possibilities for how seating is conceived and produced.
Inspirasie
Silhouette emerged from a long-standing interest in transformation in furniture: how an object might adapt to different ways of sitting without compromising formal clarity. It was inspired by the tension between movement and structure, and by the question of whether transformation could emerge from the form itself rather than from added mechanisms. Formally, it draws from the disciplined geometries and material restraint of modernist design while pursuing a distinctly contemporary expression.
Projekduur
The project was conceived at the Yale School of Architecture in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Designed and fabricated entirely in the school’s wood and metal shops, the chair was completed in June 2024 following a four-month independent design-and-build process.
Bedryfsvloei
The chair transforms through a fluid rotation of its headrest and legrest: when shifting from chaise lounge to armchair, the headrest becomes the rear legs and the legrest the front legs. Concealed locking mechanisms within the base guide and secure each movement, allowing each position to be locked or released smoothly as needed. Adjustable armrests and an infinitely variable backrest support natural transitions in posture, from reclined to upright, with minimal effort and no external tools.
Patente
United Kingdom Design Registration Nos. 6450716, 6450717, 6450718.
European Union Design Registration Nos. 015106528-0001, 015106528-0002, 015106528-0003.
Canadian Design Application No. 241084.
United States Design Patent Application No. 29/979,089.
United States Utility Patent Application No. 19/419,859.
Beeldkrediete
All photography, video, and images by Jonah Rappaport, 2024-26.

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