sadedoesHome office redo thwarted by Ikea.
The desk base came with the wrong amount of screws (one too many of kind A, one too few of kind B) 😭
So @jan is off to get the parts while I do other house stuff.
dezeen (unofficial)EBBA Architects layer recycled paper to form flat-pack Plod stool
London studio EBBA Architects has branched out into furniture design with the release of a recycled paper stool that can be used alone or combined in pairs to form a coffee table.
The Plod stool consists of four flat-pack elements – a seat and three legs – all made entirely of a single material called Richlite.
This recycled paper composite is commonly used to make cladding, countertops and skate ramps.
Plod is a three-legged flat-pack stool by EBBA Architects
But so far, the material has been grossly underappreciated by the furniture industry, according to EBBA Architects co-founder Benni Allan.
"It's not a material that has yet been used much in furniture and this is one of the first stools," he told Dezeen.
"Previously it was used primarily for surfaces in kitchens and carpentry but we were able to source bespoke panels that are thick enough to produce the stool's unique geometries."
The stool showcases the natural texture and grain of recycled paper
The material is made by soaking lengths of recycled paper in a thermosetting resin and stacking them on top of each other in alternating grain directions.
These layers are then bonded together using heat and pressure to create a durable, hardwearing material.
"The most interesting aspect of the material is the way the surface shows the patina and makeup of the paper," Allan said. "The surface has a very tactile quality, with a mottled quality of laminations combined with a very smooth finish."
It consists of four components held together by three identical joints
The resulting material can be milled, routed and joined much like regular hardwood.
For the Plod stool, EBBA Architects combined modern and traditional fabrication techniques, CNC cutting the seat while lathe turning the legs.
"We use the traditional process of making spindles for stairs in a local workshop in east London," Allan explained. "The construction is intentionally designed to be as simple as possible with a repeated joint system. This allows the stool to be shipped fully assembled or flat-packed."
[
Read:
EBBA Architects remodels London apartment with bespoke joinery
](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/02/02/ebba-architects-bow-quarter-apartment-london-interior/)
Plod can be assembled in three moves, using three identical tongue-and-groove joins that connect the seat to the legs while also providing a visual detail on the stool's surface.
The seat is generously rounded but also has one straight edge, allowing it to sit flush with another Plod stool to form a larger coffee table.
"It forms part of a collection EBBA is developing, looking at ways to make larger pieces of furniture through repeated parts that can be stacked or joined together," Allan said.
Two Plod stools can be combined to form a coffee table
Many of EBBA Architects' architecture and interiors projects also make use of traditional joinery.
Last year, the studio constructed a double-height ash and pinewood storage wall and staircase for a remodelled apartment in London's East End, as well as creating a reusable facade screen system for the Construction Skills School using off-the-shelf timber.
The photography is by Marta Fernàndez.
The post EBBA Architects layer recycled paper to form flat-pack Plod stool appeared first on Dezeen.
#furniture #all #design #seating #paper #stools #flatpackfurniture #recycling #ebbaarchitects
EBBA Architects layer recycled paper to form flat-pack Plod stool
London studio EBBA Architects has branched out into furniture design with the release of a recycled paper stool that can be used alone or combined in pairs to form a coffee table.
The Plod stool consists of four flat-pack elements – a seat and three legs – all made entirely of a single material called Richlite.
This recycled paper composite is commonly used to make cladding, countertops and skate ramps.
Plod is a three-legged flat-pack stool by EBBA Architects
But so far, the material has been grossly underappreciated by the furniture industry, according to EBBA Architects co-founder Benni Allan.
"It's not a material that has yet been used much in furniture and this is one of the first stools," he told Dezeen.
"Previously it was used primarily for surfaces in kitchens and carpentry but we were able to source bespoke panels that are thick enough to produce the stool's unique geometries."
The stool showcases the natural texture and grain of recycled paper
The material is made by soaking lengths of recycled paper in a thermosetting resin and stacking them on top of each other in alternating grain directions.
These layers are then bonded together using heat and pressure to create a durable, hardwearing material.
"The most interesting aspect of the material is the way the surface shows the patina and makeup of the paper," Allan said. "The surface has a very tactile quality, with a mottled quality of laminations combined with a very smooth finish."
It consists of four components held together by three identical joints
The resulting material can be milled, routed and joined much like regular hardwood.
For the Plod stool, EBBA Architects combined modern and traditional fabrication techniques, CNC cutting the seat while lathe turning the legs.
"We use the traditional process of making spindles for stairs in a local workshop in east London," Allan explained. "The construction is intentionally designed to be as simple as possible with a repeated joint system. This allows the stool to be shipped fully assembled or flat-packed."
[
Read:
EBBA Architects remodels London apartment with bespoke joinery
](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/02/02/ebba-architects-bow-quarter-apartment-london-interior/)
Plod can be assembled in three moves, using three identical tongue-and-groove joins that connect the seat to the legs while also providing a visual detail on the stool's surface.
The seat is generously rounded but also has one straight edge, allowing it to sit flush with another Plod stool to form a larger coffee table.
"It forms part of a collection EBBA is developing, looking at ways to make larger pieces of furniture through repeated parts that can be stacked or joined together," Allan said.
Two Plod stools can be combined to form a coffee table
Many of EBBA Architects' architecture and interiors projects also make use of traditional joinery.
Last year, the studio constructed a double-height ash and pinewood storage wall and staircase for a remodelled apartment in London's East End, as well as creating a reusable facade screen system for the Construction Skills School using off-the-shelf timber.
The photography is by Marta Fernàndez.
The post EBBA Architects layer recycled paper to form flat-pack Plod stool appeared first on Dezeen.
#furniture #all #design #seating #paper #stools #flatpackfurniture #recycling #ebbaarchitects
Flat-pack wood furniture uses "nature-powered shaping" to self assemble
The Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) at the University of Stuttgart has released prototypes for self-forming wood furniture that requires no assembly.
The HygroShape furniture is delivered as flat boards, then curves into shape when unpackaged using only the natural properties of wood.
The mono-material wood construction allows for simple forms, with minimal human intervention required during assembly.
ICD's designs rely on hygroscopic shrinkage, a property of wood that involves cell walls expanding or contracting based on the amount of water present.
ICD's HygroShape is self-forming wood furniture
A familiar "biomimetic" example can be seen in pine cones, which, after falling from the tree, dry out and curve upwards to release their seeds.
The process for creating HygroShape utilises computer programming to gauge the cellular properties that control how the wood will shrink. Calculations are then used to control the furniture's eventual form.
The furniture comes in flat packs and shapes while drying
"If obtained directly, the wood can be processed and prepared in a way to maintain and optimise high moisture content during cutting, and organisational steps informed by a digitisation of the natural structuring," explained ICD in a design statement.
Based on the computer model, the moisture-filled wood is layered in specific configurations that result in the eventual ergonomic shaping of the dried furniture.
Computer programs inform the construction of the two plywood designs
Once unpacked, the items are exposed to average indoor atmospheres and begins to dry out, allowing the furniture to take shape as quickly as overnight.
"By basing the process on understanding and directing the behaviors of natural materials, rather than breaking them down or engineering from scratch, the process opens the door to resource and manufacturing efficiency," said ICD.
H1 is an upright chair that can support the weight of the user
The impact of the design is based on the trends of flat-pack consumer furniture that requires assembly at home. Flat packs for the HygroShape furniture are only about three centimetres thick, but turn into furniture with a height of 50 centimetres – a 30-fold increase in volume.
The current prototypes designed at the University of Stuttgart include H1 and H2.
[
Read:
University of Stuttgart makes Urbach Tower from self-shaping wood
](https://www.dezeen.com/2019/06/03/university-of-stuttgart-urbach-tower-self-shaping-wood/)
H1 is a lounge chair designed for back support. Two linked surfaces allow it to stand up almost straight from the flat configuration.
H2 is a chaise lounge rocker that has two layers that lock into one another when dry. This creates a single axis on which a sitter can rock back and forth with their feet raised.
H2 is a lounge rocker
Both designs use quarter-sawn European maple arranged in two-ply layups.
From these prototypes, a spin-off company called Hylo Tech has been formed to continue research into began in the design program.
Other recent experimental material technologies that could transform architecture and design production include hemp rebar and a polystyrene substitute made from plastic-eating mealworms – see Dezeen's round-up of 10 new materials that could change the way we build.
Images are courtesy of University of Stuttgart.
Project credits:
Design team: Dylan Wood, Laura Kiesewetter, Achim Menges
Scientific collaborators: Markus Rüggeberg, Philippe Grönquist
The post Flat-pack wood furniture uses "nature-powered shaping" to self assemble appeared first on Dezeen.
#furniture #all #design #materials #technology #germany #wood #universityofstuttgart #technologyanddesign #flatpackfurniture
Muji and ÉCAL students design compact furniture built to tidy up daily life
Design brand Muji has collaborated with students at ÉCAL to create a collection of space-saving furniture, which was presented in an exhibition at Milan design week.
Called Compact Life, the collection features of tables, shelves and chairs was on display at Muji's Milan store as part of the Fuorisalone events programme.
A combined stepladder and storage unit by Victorine Lefebvre was part of the collection
BA Industrial Design students from Switzerland's ÉCAL university worked with the brand to design pieces in line with Muji's trademark minimalist style, under the tuition of Industrial Design head of programme Stéphane Halmaï-Voisard and Swiss designer Michel Charlot.
"It's always interesting to work with students because they have new ideas," assistant teacher in industrial design at ÉCAL Elie Fazel told Dezeen.
Noémie Soriano craeted a slim bedside table
The students were asked to emulate a key part of Muji's product development process, which involves using photographic studies of ordinary homes in order to determine how best to design products.
By documenting the state of their own homes, the ÉCAL students gained an idea of how they interact with their surroundings in an attempt to design space-saving furniture.
Rolling basket trolleys by Théo Blanchard were presented by Muji
For example, student Noémie Soriano created a flat-pack bedside table made from solid oak with an adjustable storage shelf designed to store a smartphone overnight.
Théo Blanchard designed a series of steel wire basket trolleys to stow belongings in that can slide under a bed, while Paper Wall Pocket by Lucie De Martin is a hangable structure made of strong laminated crepe paper that can store objects in its pockets.
Lucie De Martin designed a flexible paper wall-hanging
"It was interesting to document the everyday living of Europeans compared to most of Muji's studies, which are done in Asia," said Stéphane Halmaï-Voisard when discussing the students' research.
"So for Muji, it was a way for us to introduce a little bit of our Swiss or European way of living," he continued.
Other furniture includes Stéfanie Kay's Hanger Pole, a clothes stand that can be fitted with a wide variety of hooks and hangers, and a small house-shaped cage by Jillian Reichlin that provides shelter for insects when filled with natural materials such as bark or wood scraps.
"For these students specifically, who are young and fresh, they are basically building what they would use themselves," added Halmaï-Voisard.
Insect House by Jillian Reichlin can be hung anywhere
Among the other designs with simplicity at their core are a pressed metal shelf by Marine Fondin that fits into corners, and a collapsible chair made of plywood by Alan Shopfer with a handle-shaped backrest used to easily transport the object.
"As a designer, I'll always try to optimise my space and make the most out of it," concluded Halmaï-Voisard.
Marine Fondin's corner shelf
Muji is a Japanese lifestyle brand founded in 1980. The brand has launched a prefabricated home to encourage indoor-outdoor living.
ÉCAL is an art and design university based in Renens. Recent innovative graduate projects include nappies made of seaweed-fibre and moulded cellulose bento-style boxes designed for takeaway food.
The images are courtesy of Muji and ÉCAL.
The post Muji and ÉCAL students design compact furniture built to tidy up daily life appeared first on Dezeen.
#furniture #all #products #design #milan #écal #studentprojects #muji #flatpackfurniture #minimalistdesign #milandesignweek
