10,000 Ways: The Brainstorming Chair

I started out wanting to incorporate fabric into my design, so for the frame I initially took my Rhino model of Chair Q and modified it slightly, with the idea of a more cozy design in mind. Thus, I added armrests by extending an existing leg, and a shelf underneath, perhaps for books to read. I also changed the back to allow for making it out of reused fabric. Particularly, I was interested in the idea of upholstering the chair in some way with fabric from old, unused clothes–another household supply that falls into Enzo Mari’s concept.

I then decided to modify the frame a bit more to make the focus on the seat and lower shelf, leaving room to drape or nail on fabric for the back of the chair and possibly armrests.

In the first crit, however, we talked about my loose idea of having this be a book chair, when really I was just focused on incorporating fabric in a new way. While it was suggested that I expand further in the book direction, I had seen a lot of prior art in library/book chairs, and was trying to figure out how not to go down that route. Instead, I was thinking about how to perhaps use books as fabric. Particularly, I was considering ripping out pages from books and wadding them up to use them as cushioning under the fabric upholstery (since Marcelo mentioned that just draping fabric over the chair would not necessarily make it more comfortable).

If walls could talk…but with chairs? About books?

-My thoughts

My classmate (and friend) Katherine suggested I change my focus from specifically books to other crumpled up paper, like from the brainstorming I was doing, and thus my final chair was born.

“I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” (attributed to Thomas Edison)…so this chair is 10,000 ways to be comfortable?

-My thoughts

I made the following model to illustrate my idea:

Just like Enzo Mari’s Chair Q, my chair was composed of 2.5cm x 5cm beams in a fixed number of lengths labeled A-G.

Of course, when the wood arrived, it was not in those dimensions, so I had to adjust some numbers before I precut all the wood I needed.

Once I assembled the chair to my specifications, I then nailed on the upholstery: a clear vinyl shower curtain. (It’s the only clear fabric that one could obtain at Home Depot, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s quite durable.)