CHAIR STUDIO

Welcome to Advanced Chair Studio

In this studio, I explored chair design through a series of four chairs and one ottoman. Each piece investigates the balance between form and function through distinct materials, construction methods, and ergonomic studies. From lightweight chairs to sculptural experiments, the studio emphasized iterative making, process-driven exploration, and the relationship between body, material, and structure.

The Studies

The following four pieces are experiments in thinking and making. Each explores a distinct moment in the design process, tracing how material, gesture, or structure inform one another to shape new ideas about what a chair can be. From lightweight design to ergonomics and process, these chairs experimented with design.

  • The goal for this project was simple but ambitious: to design and build the most comfortable chair possible within a single weekend. Working in pairs, we began by testing and analyzing five chairs across the Brown and RISD campuses that we considered the most comfortable. We studied their proportions, materials, and ergonomics, taking detailed measurements and notes on posture, pressure points, and the relationship between seat, backrest, and body. Using this research as our foundation, we combined the most successful elements from each example to prototype and craft our own version of the ideal dining chair, one that balanced structure, comfort, and aesthetic clarity within the constraints of time and teamwork.

  • The brief for this project was to make the lightest chair possible, but I wanted to expand that idea by also addressing material waste. I challenged myself to use only discarded materials, offcuts, honeycomb panels, and corrugated cardboard found around the studio. Through experimenting with structural patterns and compression strength, I discovered how paper-based materials could be engineered for rigidity without added bulk. The final chair weighs just 5.6 pounds, its strength coming from the directionality of the cardboard’s corrugation and layered joinery. This project became an exploration of lightness not only in weight, but in environmental footprint.

  • This chair emerged from a series of material and process-based explorations, serving as a study in experimentation and craft. Over the course of its development, I tested more than six different techniques including bent lamination, traditional weaving, and a range of joinery methods to understand how structure, flexibility, and surface could interact. The resulting piece reflects a hands-on approach to discovery, where each method left a visible trace in the final form. The chair ultimately became a synthesis of technique and curiosity, capturing the energy of making through layered material gestures.

  • The challenge for this project was to design and build an ottoman. I approached it playfully, creating a sculptural “sheep” form that merges function and personality. Built with a soft upholstered body and wooden legs, the ottoman invites both comfort and interaction. Its rounded shape and textured surface evoke a sense of warmth and familiarity, transforming a simple piece of furniture into a friendly presence within a space.