Lounge Furniture Collection
We were initially engaged to create a wingback chair for David Edward but through discussions with the manufacturers this increased to become a family of lounge furniture. At the time we were often looking for very simple, linear pieces to specify on projects so we settled on this refined design.
Visually, the low back chair was comprised of 4 separate pieces; the back wraps around to protect the user before being separated from the 2 side panels by a polished stainless steel bar then the fluted upholstered cushioning sits comfortably inside. These separate elements would alllow for playful approaches to fabric combinations.
This idea was developed into a sofa, a wingback and a high wingback too. Across all items, the upholstered cushioning stopped at the same height for continuity and comfort.
The sketches were presented to the manufacturer for discussion and it was agreed that we would also include a high-back sofa too
We looked at leather detailing together. We a design as crisp as this one the detailing needed to be precise and it can be difficult to get tight seams with thick leathers.
The drawings were developed and sent for prototyping. The durability of the vertical fluting proved suspect, also for the leather version it was very difficult to achieve the pillowing at the top so we agreed to alter this and make the detail horizontal and increase the size of the panels.
We wanted the furniture to be light so they could easily be moved. At this time people we starting to want greater flexibility to adjust the spaces after the interior design was complete.
We recieved the first prototype in linen to check proportions, comfort, alignment etc. The seam positioning needed to be tighter and the seat cushion needed deepeneing. The next prototype came in leather too.
Image credits: DavidEdward.com
Unfortunately there was no opportunity to visit the manufacturer before starting the design, if we had been able to see how they worked we could’ve created a design that used more of their existing processes but still retained a unique style.
It’s a little different when creating bespoke furniture for individual projects, but because this was intended for mass manufacture it would’ve been better if we knew more about their in-house workshops and suppliers.
We started off looking at many approaches to wingback chairs before settling on the collection developed above.
Collaborators: Mark von der Heide, Armando Iarussi and Mike.
