The MERVEILLE chair was inspired by suspended, elegant curves that peel away from each other. Rooted in minimalist design principles, the goal was to create a seating solution that feels both grounded yet airy.
Year
Fall 2024
Timeline
9 weeks
Inspiration
Exploring the harmony between suspension and minimalism, these forms highlight fluidity and refined simplicity. Each element conveys an understated elegance.
Ideation
Initial sketches focused on exploring various forms and seating positions to understand how the chair might interact with its environment. Ideas evolved around the themes of lightness and suspension, playing with arcs and curves to find a harmonious balance.
After initial rounds of sketching, I refined a selection of my strongest concepts, ultimately narrowing down to three for final development. From these, I chose the design highlighted below.
Refinement
Through iterative refinement, concepts were narrowed down to emphasize elegance and structural stability. Adjustments included the curvature of the backrest and legs, enhancing the visual ‘suspension’ effect and reducing material use.
Execution
All parts for my chair were designed in SolidWorks before prototyping. Molds were CNC routed out of foam and the leg and backrest were made out of 10 plies of birch veneer. The seats were made out of CNC routed red oak. The leg and backrest were vacuum pressed to apply even pressure onto the veneer. The seat pieces were sanded to add the contour. Two metal brackets were made to attach the legs to the seat and the seat to the backrest.
Showcase
MERVEILLE was carefully crafted with modern and industry standard techniques. The result is an elegant, suspended design that fits naturally into modern interiors.