Press Release
Haragana Lounge Chair by Tobias Kappeler Receives the Bronze A' Design Award in Furniture Design
Tobias Kappeler recognized for furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 29, 2022 /DesignNewswire/ Haragana Lounge Chair by Tobias Kappeler, designed for Tobias Kappeler Design, has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Bronze A' Design Award
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
More About Haragana Lounge Chair
Haragana is a lounge chair made from bent steel tubes and cork disks. The chair is reduced to its essential structure, so no cushions or upholstery are used. The outline resembles an armchair, although armrests are absent. The low seating position of 28 centimetres invites people to lean back and observe their surroundings for a longer time. The open frame keeps the chair visually light and allows it to fit into interior spaces without claiming much attention. The simple cork disks contrast with the curved tubular structure. Each chair is bent, welded and sanded by hand.
About Tobias Kappeler
Tobias is an interaction and experience designer working at the intersection of craft, technology & design developing innovative products, applications and services that connect and empower people. His curious personality and persistence allowed him to transition between craft-based metalwork, construction management, mixed reality design and audio experience design, taking a multidisciplinary approach to design. His keen eye for details, prototyping workflow and passion for user-centred design give him a unique edge in developing innovative solutions that seamlessly integrate into people's lives.
Award Record
With this recognition, Tobias Kappeler is a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. All of the awards belong to the 2021 - 2022 edition of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Furniture Design Award
The A' Furniture Design Award is an international furniture competition recognizing good furniture designs by best furniture designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to furniture designers, product designers, industrial design studios and furniture brands from all countries. Entries typically include chairs, tables, sofas, beds, cabinets and shelves. Awarded furniture designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/furniture
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/127610
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/127610
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!127610
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/311697
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://tinyurl.com/kzdwcs8e
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Haragana Lounge Chair
- Function
- Lounge Chair
- Category
- Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Burly Wood, Sienna, Gainsboro, Indian Red and Dark Salmon
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Tobias Kappeler Design
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Tobias Kappeler
- Country
- Switzerland
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2021 - 2022
- Design ID
- #127610
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The Haragana is a lounge chair made from bent steel tubes and cork disks for seating. The outline of the chair resembles and reminds of an armchair however there are no cushions or upholstery. The chair is reduced to the essential structure, giving it a light and airy design, which fits perfectly in interior spaces without taking up too much space visually. The simple graphical cork seating disks provide contrast to the more complex underlying tubular structures.
- Inspiration
- We live in a fast-paced world where everything must happen instantly and thus, we often forget to take a break, lean back and just observe our surroundings. The aim was to create a chair in which you stay and remain seated for a while. Studying the territory of observation the design invites and resembles this as well. What you see, is actually not what you see. Perceived is an armchair due to the emphasized outline which resembles an armchair, however, there are no armrests.
- Research
- The project started with an exploration into the theme of observation and how to create a seating experience that could last for a longer period. A strong driver of the project was prototyping on a scale of 1:10 with steel rods that were spot-welded together. This allowed for quick iterations on different shapes and to explore different curves and their relation with each other. The tools used to produce the chair were very simple, a tube bending machine, a welding machine and a sanding machine.
- Challenge
- The challenge was to produce a chair with a complex curved shape that was still symmetrical. This required several attempts and an in-depth observation from several angles. As tubular systems for furniture design have been explored before, the challenge was to come up with a design that is new and still interesting. To keep the light feel of the chair, the structure needed to be strong and stable.
- Realization and Technology
- The chair was made from 19 and 16mm steel tubes and cork. After an extensive study on the design territory “observation” small scale prototyping and sketching the chair was produced fully by hand without any automated machines. Steel tubes were bent by hand and welded together, piece by piece. First the outline, then the inside structure, then the legs and lastly the seating of the chair. After welding it together, the chair was sanded down and spray painted. The cork was sanded and then added.
- Operation and Interaction
- Due to its low and comfortable seating point, it invites people to stay seated for longer. In addition, having only the essential structures and the seating of the chair, its light and open design smoothly integrates into the interior without claiming too much attention but still allowing for a more complex shape to be present.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in January 2020 and was developed by myself as part of my MA/MSc Innovation Design Engineering degree. The project duration was 4 weeks and was exhibited at the Royal College of Art in February 2020.
- Specifications
- The chair has a width of 75cm, a length of 65cm and a height of 65cm. To add additional support to the legs, a thin stainless steel rod was welded in between the legs. The seating position is purposely low 28cm to ensure people stay seated for longer and enjoy the experience, their surroundings and thoughts that come when taking a break.
- Keywords
- Furniture Design, Chair Design, Lounge Chair, Tubular Design, Observation.
