Repose ラウンジチェア by John G Williams is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2019 A' Design Award 鉄賞 in 家具デザイン Competition Category.
鉄家具· 2019
Repose ラウンジチェア
Client: John G Williams Fine Furniture
A' Design Award 鉄賞 Winner in 家具 Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #75298The Design
About Repose ラウンジチェア
Reposeは無垢の広葉樹材から作られたラウンジチェアです。フレームにはアメリカンアッシュ、座面と背もたれにはアメリカンウォルナットを使用しています。深いカーブを描く座面は、角度をつけて成形した木片を接ぎ合わせることで形づくられており、樽づくりに用いられるクーパリング（桶組み）技法を極限まで発展させた手法です。内側の曲面は専用の治具と工具によって滑らかに加工され、一方でアームの上面には分割された面の質感をあえて残しています。後脚は蒸し曲げによって成形され、アームの安定性を高める役割も果たします。込み栓によるほぞ接合が構造的な強度を与えています。目指したのは、無垢材だけで張り地を用いた椅子と同等の快適さを実現することでした。
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award 鉄賞
Repose ラウンジチェアは、よく設計された創造物に期待される専門的・産業的要件を満たす優れたデザインに授与される、権威ある評価である A' Design Award 鉄賞の受賞作品です。鉄賞の受賞作品は、制作者の高い技量、高度な専門性、専門家としての理解、創造的な能力を示しています。Repose ラウンジチェアは、高く評価され、称賛され、愛される、実用的で革新的な創造物であることが期待されます。この A' Design Award 鉄賞を受賞したデザインは、業界のベストプラクティスを統合し、ノウハウと才能に結びついた有能な技術的特性を備えています。Repose ラウンジチェアは、その徹底ぶりで尊敬され、世界をより良い場所にするための生活の質の向上をもたらすよう設計されています。
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
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