Chair of Soul Nofoa by Wen Jenq Cherng is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award Apamemea in Mamanu Meafale Competition Category.

ApamemeaMeafale· 2020

Chair of Soul Nofoa

by Wen Jenq Cherng

Client: Cherng's Work

A' Design Award Apamemea Winner in Meafale Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #91651

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Chair of Soul Nofoa

Chair of Soul ose nofoa na mamanuina e lagolago ai le tino i se tulaga saoloto ma tuusao. O le maualuga o le nofoaga, le tua i le fusiua ma fa'alagolago lima e amoina ai le mamafa o le vaega pito i luga o le tino. O le tua e sina piko e mulimuli i le foliga o le tino ma faamama ai le mamafa i tauau, ua, fusiua ma vae ma lima. O meaafale masani a le Ming Dynasty o loo tuuina mai ai le fa'ata'ita'iga mo togi faigofie. O le Ebony mai Sulawesi o loo fai ai le fausaga autu, faatasi ma vae paipa apamemea ma se nofoaga pa'u Nappa lanumeamata violē. O sootaga mortise ma tenon o loo fesootai ai vaega, ma o se fausaga pi'o e fesootai ai vae i le nofoaga.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Apamemea

O le A' Design Award Apamemea na manumalo ai Chair of Soul Nofoa, o se faamaoniga matuā mamalu e tuuina atu i mamanu ese e iloga i le fatufatuaʻi, le atamai ma le poto. O ē manumalo i le Apamemea o mea e iai le tomai atoa ma fatufatuaʻi mataʻina e faamaonia ai le poto masani tele, le mafaufau ma le atamai o tagata mamanu. E faamoemoeina Chair of Soul Nofoa e avea ma mea e vivii tele, ua pelepelea, e iloga i le tomai faapolofesa ma mea fou. O lenei mamanu na manumalo i le A' Design Award Apamemea e tuufaatasia ai faiga sili i le faatufugaga, saienisi, mamanu ma tekonolosi ma e sili ona lelei i le mataituina o mea itiiti. Chair of Soul Nofoa e faamalieina matagofie manaʻoga, pa i manaʻo, faalataina lagona ma faaosofia le fia iloa.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Chair of Soul is my entry point of use as a starting point for design thinking. Since I have long been practicing meditation for destressing and calming my body and mind, I am hoping the design of the chair could reflect a completely relaxed condition for the body. Overall design is thereby focused on its function, where the user would sit upright on the chair and his or her upper-body weight be perfectly supported through the height of the chair, the backrest at the waist, and the armrests.
Dimensions & Packaging: When producing a hereditary chair, what is more important than ensuring its functions is finding ways to incorporate visual aesthetics. I am using Chinese traditional Ming Dynasty style furniture as my blueprint, borrowing its elegant and simple exterior design and principles on proportion. And through enhancement of overall structural system, a unique arc structure is used as the support that connects the legs and the seat of the chair.
Tags: Product, Chair, Health, Oriental, Furniture
Production Technology: The curvature of the slightly bulging backrest embraces the body; this waist-supporting chair design offers supports for the human body, so that tensions around user’s shoulders, neck, waist, and limbs would all be relieved–user would be welcomed with a comforting sensation similar to a hug.
Design Challenge: Pairing the material with the metallic copper tube of the legs and the purple cow Nappa leather seat, harmony, elegance, stability, and sustainability are incorporated altogether to bring forth a chair that user could converse with, the chair I dub – Chair of Soul.
Research: A chair that is aimed to improve the users health would need to value the choice of material as equally important as the design that would fit precisely to human body proportions. I have especially chosen the ebony produced in Sulawesi, Indonesia as the chair’s main structure element; its fine material and deep-black colored lines flawlessly interpret the sophistication that the chair should exhibit.
Inspiration: We have always had different thoughts in regards to chairs. This piece of furniture with a long history of evolution has always been deemed irreplaceable in home interior. How should a classic chair, which one hopes to pass down for generations and stay eternally quintessential, be presented?
Project Duration: The project started in December 2016 and finished in December 2018.
Operation Flow: The design is further complemented by the mortice and tenon joint as the reinforcing linkage between parts, bringing betterment to the complex composition found in old-fashioned traditional furniture. In addition to strengthening the chair’s mechanics system, a simplistic and spiritual appearance is thereby created for the chair.
Team Members: Designer: Wen-Jenq Cherng