Repose Loungestoel by John G Williams is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2019 A' Design Award yn Izer in Meubelûntwerp Competition Category.
IzerMeubels· 2019
Repose Loungestoel
Client: John G Williams Fine Furniture
A' Design Award yn Izer Winner in Meubels Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #75298The Design
About Repose Loungestoel
Repose is in loungestoel makke fan massyf hurdhout. It ûnderstel is fan Amerikaanske esk, en de sitting en rêch binne fan Amerikaanske notteboom. De djippe, rûne sitting wurdt foarme troch stikken hout mei skreante rânen op elkoar te lamineren, in ekstreme fariant fan de kuiperijmetoade dy't brûkt wurdt foar it meitsjen fan fetten. De binnenrûnings binne mei spesjaal makke ark glêd bewurke, wylst de boppekant fan de earms in segmintearre struktuer hâlde. De efterpoaten binne stoomboggen en helpe de earms te stabilisearjen. Trekboarre penlaskingen (draw bore tenon joints) foegje ekstra sterkte ta. It doel wie om it komfort fan in bekleeде stoel te berikken mei allinnich massyf hout.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award yn Izer
Repose Loungestoel is in winner fan de A' Design Award yn Izer, in prestisjeuze erkenning foar goede ûntwerpen dy't foldogge oan de profesjonele en yndustriële easken dy't ferwachte wurde fan goed ûntwurpen skeppings. Izerwinners litte grutte feardigens, hege spesjalisaasje, deskundich begryp en kreatyf fermogen fan har makkers sjen. Fan Repose Loungestoel wurdt ferwachte dat it in tige heech achte, bewûndere en dierbere skepping is dy't praktysk en ynnovatyf is. Dit winnende ûntwerp fan de A' Design Award yn Izer yntegrearret de bêste praktiken fan de sektor en hat feardige technyske skaaimerken ferbûn mei kennis en talint. Repose Loungestoel wurdt respektearre foar syn yngeandens en is ûntwurpen om ferbetteringen fan de kwaliteit fan it libben te leverjen dy't helpe de wrâld ta in bettere plak te meitsjen.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The Repose lounge chair is constructed from solid timber. The curved form is realized by an extreme form of the 'coopering' process - similar to the process used to construct round barrels from staves of timber.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- W 800, D 800, H 830 mm
Constructed from solid hardwood timber. Frame: American Ash. Seat and Back: American Walnut.
Joints use draw bore tenon joints for extra strength - Tags
- Lounge, chair, wooden, artisanal, Danish, timber, art
- Production Technology
- This chair is not moulded, as some might expect, but is formed from solid timber. The deep sweeping form of the seat is made by laminating various pieces of timber, with angled edges, to form the desired curves. The inside curves are machined into smooth curves with custom made tooling; but the arm uppers retain some of the segmented feel - smooth enough and yet conveying a sense of where the piece came from. The rear legs are steam bent, to retain the overall simplicity, and to attenuate and stabilize the top part of the chair arms. The backrest is also a curved laminated, solid-wood form. It would also be possible to add a thin seat cushion, or perhaps to re-conceive the entire backrest as a custom moulded leather cushion
- Design Challenge
- The major unknown was how strong the seat section would be in bending - in other words if someone sat on the arms, would they break? It became apparent that the arms would need additional support given the depth of the form, and the inevitable flexibility (despite steps taken to add strength in the manufacturing process). It was found that the support pins at the rear of the arms were sufficient to stabilize the entire form - which was confirmed through trial and error.
Overall the challenge was to create a lounge chair that, despite being solid timber, would be as comfortable as an upholstered equivalent - Research
- The method drew heavily on the methods used in earlier designs (eg Zene submitted last year), but took these to extremes to experiment with the art of the possible.
New tooling was developed, in the form of a type of drum sander run between centres on a woodworking lathe, to machine the large concave curves - Inspiration
- The inspirational question behind Repose was: if the design language at the core of the Beke and Zene dining ranges were extended to lounge furniture, what would that look like? Could a form be created out of beautiful solid hardwood timber that was profoundly comfortable even though it may be challenging to manufacture? Could some sort of modern shell design be crafted out of solid timber to yield a beautiful striking new design ?
- Project Duration
- The project was designed and the first prototype built in 4 weeks, starting Dec 2018 and completing in Jan 2019 in Johannesburg South Africa. The design was refined and built in finished materials (Ash and Walnut) over the following 4 weeks.
- Operation Flow
- The user settles comfortably down into the seat using the armrests.
Various postures are supported sitting comfortably down in the seat.
Getting back out of the seat is very easy, and facilitated by the arms. - Patents
- UK IPO design registration: 6053688
- Team Members
- John G Williams
- Image Credits
- All images: John G Williams
Sponsored
Explore Beyond Designers.org
Discover products, services and opportunities from our advertising partners.
More to Explore
Related Designs
Explore more award-winning designs from the same category, selected by merit.
