Berliner 多功能坐凳 by Tugce Sonmez Evin is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award 銀獎 in 傢俱設計 Competition Category.

銀傢俱· 2023

Berliner 多功能坐凳

by Tugce Sonmez Evin

Client: Kitbox Design

A' Design Award 銀獎 Winner in 傢俱 Category

26,714

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #144606

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Berliner 多功能坐凳

Berliner 是一款圓形座椅單元，具有增強的功能，適用於候機室、辦公室和房屋。該設計以實用且有吸引力的方式為雜誌、書籍等提供了額外的存儲空間。坐墊凳的巢狀木芯可以安全且用戶可見地存放物品。 Berliner 採用人造毛皮裝飾，觸感柔軟，強調舒適度。它因與德國著名糕點“Berliner”（又名“Kraupfen”）相似而得名。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銀獎

Berliner 多功能坐凳是 A' Design Award 銀獎得主，這是授予頂級、華美而令人印象深刻的設計的極為崇高的認可。銀獎得主是極其卓越、極具創造力的作品，展現出其設計師傑出的專業技能、才華與敏銳。預計Berliner 多功能坐凳將成為一件出色的典範之作，兼具非凡的專業性與深刻的創新性。這件贏得 A' Design Award 銀獎的設計是一項備受矚目、令人欽佩的發明，造福並拓展藝術、科學、設計和技術的界限。Berliner 多功能坐凳是一件令人羨慕的創作，它喚起渴望，帶來積極的情感，並激發驚嘆與讚嘆。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Berliner is a large round pouf with a solid wood container unit in the middle. It's designed to store and display magazines, books etc. in a practical and appealing way. The idea was to make a seating furniture with enhanced functionality for waiting lounges, offices and houses. Wooden core is hand carved on a turning lathe, and upholstered with a faux fur for a soft velvety touch. The design is completed with two brass rings emphasizing the separation between different materials.
Dimensions & Packaging: Dimentions: 850mm x 850mm x 470mm

Materials:
Wooden core/nest: Ayous
Frame: MDF
Metal Rings: Brass with satine finish
Upholstery: Synthetic Fur
Tags: pouf, ottoman, magazine rack, storage unit, seating, berliner
Production Technology: The production process of Berliner has started with 3D printing of scaled versions of various initial forms to better evaluate the proportions. After the proportions are set, the actual production has started. The wooden core and pouf frame is hand-carved on a turning lathe from laminated wood blocks, the seating foam is hand-sculpted and upholstered. The brass rings are bent by hand and welded to fit tight. All production is a close collective work of 3 ateliers working with different materials. While the initial production is finished by hand, the design is suitable to be produced by CNC machines.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was to achive a reasonable weight while making a sturdy furniture with a wooden core. For that reason; the inner frame of the pouf is made out of laminated blocks by leaving the middle hollow and the core is made of ayous tree for its lightweight and ease of application. The design is seperated into two halves as top and bottom for secure and easy transportation. The top part is locked by a cental rod placed onto the bottom by simply rotating the upper half of the pouf.
Research: As the main function of the pouf is to be seated, ergonomics was a great concern while developing the design. Softness of the seating unit, curve radius of the edges, height and achieving an evenly weight distribution while being seated were the main objectives of the research process. As a result, two upholstered halves of Berliner is narrowing to the top and bottom, to help the person sitting on it to be placed closer to the center of gravity and not let his/her feet to touch the bottom.
Inspiration: In today's housing or workplace understanding, space is a thing which we all want to save. Instead of filling each void with another object, we all seek smart solutions to save some unaccompanied space for a feeling of comfort. Berliner is designed for this purpose; while taking the space that a round seating unit would fill, it serves as a space for other objects as well. It's named after the famous German pastry because of its obvious resemblance.
Project Duration: The project started in February 2022 and finished in May 2022, and was exhibited in SaloneSatellite exhibition of Salone del Mobile in June 2022
Operation Flow: The design interacts with the user by serving an unexpected additional function. The pouf collects occasionally used items and displays them for the user to easily see and reach. In a scenario where the Berliner is placed in a waiting lounge; one can easily reach the magazines while sitting on the pouf and enjoy reading for the duration of his/her wait. Curved nestlike form of the wooden container of Berliner provides good visibility for the objects stored while securely keeping them in place. This feature makes the design a practical asset as a waiting lounge seating furniture.
Patents: Registered to Tugce Sonmez Evin, 2022
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Mehmet Arslan
Image #2: Photographer Mehmet Arslan
Image #3: Photographer Mehmet Arslan
Image #4: Photographer Tugce Sonmez Evin
Image #5: Photographer Max Artbovich