Beke 厨房吧椅 by John G Williams is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2019 A' Design Award 铁奖 in 家具设计 Competition Category.

铁家具· 2019

Beke 厨房吧椅

by John G Williams

Client: John G Williams Fine Furniture

A' Design Award 铁奖 Winner in 家具 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #71063

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The Design

About Beke 厨房吧椅

Beke是一款专为厨房台面或早餐吧台使用而设计的厨房吧椅。Beke这一名称寓意宁静与连结。座面、靠背与脚踏的几何造型经过精心设计,确保长时间使用时的舒适度。座面采用定制胶合板层压工艺,表面饰以胡桃木饰面。后腿分两部分进行蒸汽弯曲后再层压成型,以确保长期的尺寸稳定性。靠背由成型木条以桶箍工艺拼接而成。简洁的白蜡木框架经过塑形处理,赋予座椅轻盈而静谧的外观。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 铁奖

Beke 厨房吧椅是 A' Design Award 铁奖得主，这是授予满足人们对设计精良的创作所期待的专业与工业要求的优良设计的声望认可。铁奖得主展现出其创作者的高超技艺、高度专业化、专家级的理解力和创造能力。预计Beke 厨房吧椅将成为一件备受推崇、令人钦佩且被珍爱的创作，既实用又创新。这件赢得 A' Design Award 铁奖的设计整合了行业最佳实践，并拥有与专业知识和才华相结合的称职技术特性。Beke 厨房吧椅因其严谨而受到尊重，旨在提供有助于让世界变得更美好的生活品质改善。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: An elegant and stable chair for use at a kitchen bar or counter, in the same range at the Beke dining chair. The chair is designed to be comfortable for extended periods of use, and the geometry of seat, backrest, and footrest have been tailored with this in mind.
The seat is a unique custom plywood laminate finished in walnut veneer to an architectural form.
The rear legs are formed in two parts: first by steam bending the graceful form, and then laminating for long term dimensional stability.
The rails are profiled in an attempt to reinforce the overall lightness and sense of peace, and to support the cantilevered seat over the front rail.
Dimensions & Packaging: Overall dimensions: 1080mm high x 470mm wide x 670mm deep
Seat dimension: 470mm wide x 440mm deep
Backrest dimensions: 540mm wide x 200 mm high
Seat angle: 3 degrees
Backrest angle: 18 degrees
Included angle: 15 degrees
Seat height: 660 mm
Backrest height: 1025mm
Weight: 7.0kg
Tags: Beke, kitchen bar chair, south africa, hardwood, curved, danish modern, minimalist, ash, walnut, gracefu
Production Technology: The chair design incorporates a number of innovative components: custom plywood seat; steam bent rear legs; coopered backrest; and shaped rails:
Custom plywood seat. The seat is formed from 5 plies, which are then finished top and bottom with a walnut veneer. The profile is a custom design that is used to build a purpose made forming press to generate finished seat forms. T nuts are encapsulated in the ply, so that the seat can be securely bolted to the frame with no interruption at all of the top surface of the seat.
Steam bent rear legs. The rear legs are steam bent in two pieces; cooled and stabilized; and then laminated to generate the final leg forms. Regular lamination was discarded on account of the excessive glue joints implied; and steam bending alone risked dimensional instability over time. This innovative combination captures the best of both techniques.
Coopered backrest. Coopering is the ancient art of constructing curved forms as used in barrel construction. The backrest staves are cut with edges 1 degree off perpendicular so that, when glued together, they pull into the curved form. Modified power tools are used to finish shape the graceful curves.
Shaped rails. The rails incorporate forms that echo local Cape Dutch architecture. These are achieved by trimming the rails to custom templates.
Design Challenge: The main aesthetic challenge in this project was to conceptualize a design that would be recognizably 'Beke' and congruent with the existing dining chair, without merely looking like an elongated version of the same.
The manufacturing challenges were numerous. Combining steam bending with laminating for the rear legs required, in the end, a very complete understanding of the dynamics of steam bending. In particular, how steam bent parts spring back over time required extensive modeling and test work to realize the desired designed end product
Research: Research focussed mainly on: the geometry of kitchen bar counter and chair; and the various manufacturing processes required to generate Beke
Inspiration: Beke means 'peace' and 'to be connected to'. This design is intended to put the user at ease, for extended comfort at the breakfast bar – to provide an ergonomic and aesthetic sense of peace. The design attempts to realize this sense of well-being, and at the same time to support a sense of connection with the space at the bar.
The design: respects the simplicity of the Danish Modern, and yet incorporates luxurious hardwood in the seat and back; integrates South African Cape Dutch architectural motifs with a sweeping architectural profile; uses a clean ash frame to showcase the richness of local and international hardwoods.
Project Duration: The project was completed over the course of approximately 4 weeks. All design and manufacturing was completed in Johannesburg.
Operation Flow: The Beke kitchen bar chair sits permanently near or at the kitchen counter. The user easily steps into the chair, using the front foot rail if preferred. The user can readily sit forward to the kitchen bar, given the small angle of inclination. The user is also comfortably supported by the inclined backrest, which remains comfortable for a number of hours. This sustains the most engaged of mealtime conversations, or possibly a shared sports match at a home bar.
Patents: UK IP Office Registered Design: 6047912
Holder: John Griffith Williams, 2018
Team Members: John G Williams
Image Credits: John G Williams