Heron Chair

School Project Individual Design 2022

My design focus was to create a lightweight chair that was comfortable to sit in through many postures. Essentially it’s a hammock in the form of a living room chair. The organic frame holds the shape of the fabric form. The wings of the chair can be used as armrests, or footrests. The form of this chair follows the shapes of a heron.

Design Process

PERSONA

This is Oliva. She is 25 years old, likes to read, uses a laptop, and moves occasionally for work. She never uses her living room chair the way it’s meant to. She finds it more comfortable to sit sideways and prop up her book or laptop on her knees. The hard armrests of her chair dig into her back and make her uncomfortable. Her chair is also heavy and difficult to move, so she’s looking for a replacement.

IDEATION SKETCHES

Gravity Sketch Mockup

Utilizing a Vr Design workflow I was able to 3d model the chair to scale in gravity sketch. I was able to test scale with manikin models and by 3d tracing reference furniture from my living room.

Solidworks Design V01

Importing my vr model as reference, I rebuilt the design in solidworks. I then calculated the board lengths and drew 2d lay flat files for each of the boards, and laser cut parts for a 1/16th scale model.

Prototype V01

1/16th scale

I learned alot from developing this prototype. I decided to get rid of the bookshelf drawer hassock as it took away from the elegance of the design. I felt like it added too much heft to what was supposed to be a light and elegant design. I also realised I needed to rethink how the leather would be attached to the chair as the large number of straps through slots was extremely tedious and I wanted the chair to be easy to set up and take down for packing.

Applying Learnings From Prototype

I also felt that with this design the wings were unnecessarily large, so I brought the 3d model into sketchup to quickly deform it into a shape with more desirable proportions. I also figured out a better attachment mechanism involving buttons and buckles that would be easier for users to assemble (more details later).

Solidworks Design V02

Using the altered model I rebuilt the chair in solidworks using the new proportions. I modeled the fabric by using a combination of a fabric simulator in marvelous designer and blender.

Attachment Mechanism

The Leather/Fabric is stitched to a flexible nylon birm. This brim is attached to a series of nylon straps that connect to the buckles in corners of the frame. The load on the membrane is distributed to the brim, which in turn is supported by nylon straps and buckles. The brim is fitted with a series of brass snap fits, which connect it seamlessly to the frame for a touch of elegance.

Packability

This chair was designed with portability in mind, it is easy to assemble with only eight frame components. The membrane can be rolled up and the frame is collapsible. Embedded threaded inserts provide a strong and durable means of connection between frame components, allowing for many assemblies of the chair without any damage to its structural integrity.

ASSEMBLY

MATERIALS

The chair frame is made from layers of plywood formed into curves resembling the neck of a black heron. The frame comes in various two tone color schemes as it is finished with a thin Tabu veneer on all visible surfaces. Each chair uses two unique Tabu veneers. Tabu Ecozero Veneers are LEED certified, sustainably sourced and made without formaldehyde. The chair membrane can be made from sustainably sourced leather, cork leather, or cotton canvas.