Silver Furniture Design · 2023
Hector Armchair
by Pepe Lima
- A' Design Award 2023 Silver Winner in Furniture Design
- Awarded April 15, 2023
- CLIENT: Moveis James
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 38,486
- Verification code 674070C32C · Verify this award
About Hector Armchair
Hector is an armchair designed for indoor living spaces. The armchair combines cast aluminium, plywood, leather and solid wood in one piece. Slim solid wood arms appear to float around the upholstery, because the metal supports are hidden beneath the seat or covered with leather. Brass buttons look like upholstery details, yet they also help to hold the structure. Two delicate cast aluminium ornaments mark the back and set the position of the backrest. An internal solid wood frame, covered with foam and fabric, gives firm support. Varied textures allow customisation.
Within the distinguished tradition of furniture design that treats the chair as both functional object and sculptural statement, this work by Pepê Lima demonstrates a sophisticated meditation on the relationship between structural frame and supported volume, between the rigid and the yielding, between geometric discipline and organic comfort. The Hector Armchair participates in a lineage extending from the bentwood innovations of the nineteenth century through the organic experiments of mid-century Nordic masters, yet it arrives at a distinctly contemporary expression through its boldly angular frame geometry and its refined dialogue of contrasting materials and surface qualities. The designer seems to have approached the fundamental challenge of seating with fresh eyes, questioning the conventional separation between armrest, support structure, and leg, instead proposing a unified peripheral frame that accomplishes all three functions within a single continuous gesture of bent solid wood. This integration achieves remarkable visual clarity, allowing the eye to trace the complete structural logic in a single sweep while simultaneously appreciating the craft skill required to bend substantial timber into such dramatic curves without fracture or visual compromise. The juxtaposition of the angular, almost crystalline geometry of the frame against the soft, embracing volumes of the upholstered seat and back creates a productive tension that speaks to fundamental dualities in the experience of rest: the desire for both support and softness, for both visual interest and physical comfort. The accent panels of figured veneer introduce a subtle complexity to the material narrative, their warmer tone and prominent grain patterns creating moments of visual richness within the otherwise restrained palette. One might consider how this chair positions itself within domestic space not merely as a place to sit but as an object of contemplation, inviting viewers to appreciate the resolution of complex design challenges into apparently effortless form.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Combining a wide range of materials in a same product is risky and using cast aluminum, plywood, leather, and solid wood made it even more challenging to create an elegant and sophisticated product. The tapestry was designed to seem to float around the arms with the metal supports hidden or disguised with leather. In the back, two delicate ornaments in cast aluminum were used to transmit the feeling of support to the backrest, which is actually given by an internal structure in the tapestry. The array of textures provide the ability of customization, turning the Hector most suitable for clients with sober, all the way to bold tastes.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 760mm x 940mm x 720 mm
- Tags
- Furniture, modern, plywood, wood, armchair, elegant, different, luxury, confort
- Production Technology
- The armchair has an internal structure in solid wood covered by foam and fabric. Such structure is responsible for ensuring good fastening on the metallic rods discreetly placed under the seat. Two steel pieces are covered in leather, with brass buttons disguised as details of upholstery when in fact they are great allies in structuring. The back has fluid and delicate elements in cast aluminum that serve as parameters for the aesthetic and in the positioning of the backrest.
- Design Challenge
- One of the most challenging points of the Hector armchair was to create an internal structure capable of connecting the upholstery with the arms in a very discreet and solid way, resulting in a floating effect around the seat.
- Project Duration
- The project started in May 2021 in Sao Bento do Sul, Brazil, and finished in December 2021.
- Operation Flow
- Due to the choice of materials, the armchair is exclusively designed for indoor environments and therefore, not suitable for outdoor conditions. Extreme humidity or direct contact with water can damage and warp the plywood. Direct sunlight should be avoided so as not to fade the fabric and other materials. In the case of synthetic leather, overheating can reduce its life cycle.
- Research
- In an attempt to keep the solid wood arms as delicate and thin as possible, strength tests were made on several samples of varying thickness until arriving at a functional conclusion. The same happened with the internal wooden structure and the lower steel bars so that the armchair presents itself as a firm and solid construction with no swaying.
- Inspiration
- The Hector has, as a source of inspiration, the objective of attracting people who have an elegant and daring lifestyle, who are always up-to-date with design and looking for aesthetically different products that stand out from the rest. They value novelty, use of noble materials, excellence in finishing, and comfort above all.
Such people who value richness of details and products which evoke new experiences and discoveries with each interaction.
Colors of Hector Armchair
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G0E3 ShopDesign Interview about Hector Armchair
As I often say, I have not resorted to material inspirations for my products for a long time, I always try to set goals when designing and with Hector I wanted to build an armchair where the arms seem to float around a seat that also floats, conveying an idea of levitation and continuity.
I focused a lot on the public who has an elegant lifestyle, who value design, appreciate the richness of details, comfort, and an interesting mix of materials. Above all, a public with an open mind for the different.
The Hector Armchair was launched in 2022 and just recently completed one year. The market acceptance was wonderful and we have many good sales with the product. Like every good product, it will continue in production and we will always try to bring new finishing options to constantly renew it.
The design part was pretty quick because I had a pretty clear idea of what my goal was and how I wanted the armchair to look; I believe it took me two days to create it. The prototyping part, making it work, was more time consuming.
For a while now I've had the idea of making an armchair with floating arms and seat, until I decided to sit down and take the idea further. At first it was more a matter of achieving my goal, but as soon as I finished the 3D I saw that I had made something good, I knew immediately that my factory partner would want to produce it.
The Hector Armchair has been in production since 2022. It is produced and sold by Móveis James in Brazil.
I am always pursuing new goals and trying to develop products with new features. I believe that we must constantly push ourselves beyond our limits to keep our creativity constantly growing.
I am a great lover of Eames. There are many good professionals that helped form my way of seeing and creating shapes, to the point that my professional maturity developed and took on characteristics of its own.
With this product I prioritized a more sophisticated and elegant public, who see their home as a temple and are always very well connected to the world of art and design. This public normally values details, form, comfort, and the use of noble materials.
I think mainly the aesthetics, I don't remember having seen anything similar. We also used many techniques that we had not explored to put everything in place, besides mixing six different materials in a harmonic way. It is a differentiated product in several aspects.
It is part of a collection of three armchairs called "The Three", where each product has an identity focused on a different lifestyle and audience. Each armchair has a masculine name, and as the idea was that it should be the most elegant and sophisticated, I thought the name Hector would suit me well; I think it's a strong name. An interesting fact is that after the launch of the collection, I started naming all my armchairs with masculine names.
Paper and pen to draw by hand and form the main idea. With the idea ready I go to the computer to model, render and produce the technical drawings.
I see the Hector Armchair as a very unusual product and as I mentioned before I don't recall ever seeing anything similar. That said, it would be quite difficult for me to point out a unique aspect, I could as always talk about the floating seat and arms, the vast mix of materials, the shape itself.
In my studio I do everything on my own, from the first sketch to the technical design and follow-up on prototyping. I have production knowledge but I can always count on the help of experienced professionals in the factory when it comes to bringing the project to life.
It is a product whose details require precision. All the elements need to end in such a way that is perfect for its assembly; thus, more artisanal manufacturing wouldn’t be adequate for this product. We resorted to cutting-edge machinery to make all the cuts, holes, and bevels in the piece. Because it is an armchair that uses all its upholstery as a single structure, the wooden boxing had to be very well planned, which meant that a high level of precision would be necessary for the structure not to compromise comfort.
I had to do a lot of research on new fastening solutions, metal casting, and evolve my thinking about tapestry a lot. The design part itself was pretty automatic, because from the moment I decided what I wanted to do, the shape of the product and how it should look appeared almost immediately in my head from the very first sketch.
Certainly keeping the Armchair solid and well-structured since the arms are floating relative to the seat. It was a difficult task, we tried several solutions and the Armchair always swayed a lot when sitting. In the end I was able to think of something that solved the problem in a harmonic way.
It was last minute. I didn't really intend to participate this year, but I thought that the unusual charm of the Armchair might win some prize and be shown to the world.
I had the opportunity to expand my knowledge with tapestry. When we set a goal we have never attempted before, we step out of our comfort zone and force ourselves to investigate and study new solutions, we push our own limits and create new ones.