KYLE POINTER
Product Design
Poolside Lounge Chair
A Playfully Considered Lounge Chair for Outdoor Environments.
The Poolside Lounge Chair is my final design project as a student at Nottingham Trent University. The project, spanning roughly five months, was my major design practise, equating to 50% of my degree grade!
The self-directed project was a full-length design project. Writing my own brief led to research, development, modelling, prototyping and costing. The completed project has been on display in the BA Product Design stands within the NTU Art & Design Summer Show 2018.
Ensuing a placement year in Denmark, I was exposed to the Danish understanding of furniture, particularly the chair – or stol. Appreciating this connection between person and product, I applied myself to achieve such a connection in my own work. My interest and prior experience in furniture design laid feasible foundations for the growth of a furniture based design project.
Having gained experience at The LEGO Group, my influences of discovery though play, combined with my extensive research based dissertation studying the effects of adult play, have led to me adding play and comedy into my design ethos, and so I wanted to create a joyful piece that would reflect this.
The chair is built within and around a solid White American Ash ring, that is produced by steam bending three equal arcs. The ring is held by a triad of large, brutalist Ash legs, with back support from a steel bent frame, threaded through the back leg.
The seat of the Poolside Lounge Chair is hung within the Ash frame by elastic bungee cord, which gives the swaying motion when you sit and rock back and forth. Brushed brass brackets and bow shackles hold the cord, which threads through a backplate on the seat.
The seat itself is made of Birch laminate, with a woollen upholstered top, although this may be suitable to remove in place for laminate ply.
The initial stages of the project consisted primarily of research and developing detailed specifications. Several early stage methods of research were conducted; an initial but broad market research into the history of furniture, analysing iconic designs and movements. A vast visual literature review of online platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram led to a wider range of more creative and niche products. Many books were examined, from modern design catalogues, Asian design books, cabinet making methods and branded portfolios. in later stages, anthropometric data sources were cross-examined and materials were sourced for inspection.
Sketching over and developing ideas from research pages began thinking as to potential concepts to explore later. The design phase began with several initial concepts in mind which were explored through sketching. As these grew, some were set aside while others were either dismissed or developed. Sketching was fast, exploratory and used as a method to quickly build ideas. Over time, sketches would become more refined and detailed. A great deal of sketches was produced throughout the design phase, right into prototyping, as a way of constantly solving issues and developing as new factors arose.
Sketching led to several concepts of which models were produced using a range of materials to understand multiple ways of developing the concept. As a playful and expressive brief, the design process needed to avoid any linear pathways that would deter creative thinking. Beginning with grey card and modelling wire, other mediums including clay, sticks, dowel, paper, plastic, rope and wood were used to create a variety of models. Frames, seats, legs and details were modelled, sometimes separately and sometimes together. By gluing, taping, bending, sawing, sticking and tying, a multitude of potential processes became apparent. Over time, more considered models were produced at 1:10. Vacuum forming over foam and MDF moulds allowed accurate seat tests.
A full scale visual frame was constructed to show the realistic proportion of the product. This was produced using MDF for the legs, laminated, joined, planed, sawn, sanded, and machined where necessary. The main ring was constructed using laser cut MDF templates to cut accurate pieces of blue foam. These were glued to produce the ring, which was drilled and sawn to make holes for dowels and legs. All components were covered in a wood finished Fablon materials to achieve a wood effect.
Alongside the mock-up model, a full-scale test rig would be necessary to achieve any kind of concept proof. A rig was constructed I welded a steel box section frame, in which a plywood reinforced MDF seat was hung using 10mm bungee cord. Reviewing the process, this was pivotal in explaining the concept, and without the test rig, understanding the product would have proved difficult. The rig became the main physical outcome of the project and ended up being the displayed piece along with visual graphics of the conceptual design, and a quarter scale model that I built through CNC and 3D Printing.
Image credited to Oppenheim Architects. I do not own the rights to this image.
The final outcome of the project is a visual concept, supported by a physical proof of concept. Due to high material and manufacturing costs, the chair would retail as a luxury item with a price to reflect. The chair is envisioned as an outdoor chair, due to its size and materials. The brass work reflects that of shipbuilding, with shackles used as they would be on boats. The rocking motion when sitting in the seat resembles the rocking of a boat or waves.
Having constructed a working prototype of a different aesthetic design, I intend to develop the prototype into a feasible design cheap enough for myself to manufacture and retail.