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Repose Scaun Lounge by John G Williams

Repose Scaun Lounge by John G Williams is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2019 A' Design Award de Fier in Design de Mobilier Competition Category.


FierMobilier· 2019

Repose Scaun Lounge

by John G Williams

Client: John G Williams Fine Furniture

A' Design Award de Fier Winner in Mobilier Category

Colors

The Design

About Repose Scaun Lounge

Repose este un scaun lounge realizat din lemn masiv de esență tare. Structura este din frasin american, iar șezutul și spătarul sunt din nuc american. Șezutul adânc și curbat este format prin laminarea unor piese de lemn profilate cu margini unghiulare, o versiune extremă a metodei de dogărie folosite la construirea butoaielor. Curbele interioare sunt prelucrate până devin netede, cu scule personalizate, în timp ce partea superioară a brațelor păstrează o textură segmentată. Picioarele din spate sunt curbate prin aburire și contribuie la stabilizarea brațelor. Îmbinările cu cep și mortează fixate cu știfturi decalate (draw bore) adaugă rezistență. Scopul a fost atingerea confortului unui scaun tapițat folosind exclusiv lemn masiv.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Fier

Repose Scaun Lounge a câștigat A' Design Award de Fier, o recunoaștere prestigioasă acordată designurilor bune care îndeplinesc cerințele profesionale și industriale așteptate de la creații bine concepute. Câștigătorii Fierului demonstrează mare pricepere, înaltă specializare, înțelegere de specialitate și capacitate creativă din partea creatorilor lor. Se așteaptă ca Repose Scaun Lounge să fie o creație foarte apreciată, admirată și prețuită, practică și inovatoare. Acest design câștigător al A' Design Award de Fier integrează cele mai bune practici din industrie și are caracteristici tehnice competente îmbinate cu know-how și talent. Pentru acuratețea sa, Repose Scaun Lounge merită respect și este conceput pentru a aduce îmbunătățiri ale calității vieții care ajută la facerea lumii un loc mai bun.

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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