Prototype

Final

Concept develompment

Chair Dimession

Concepts

Idea Generation

There are some of my sketches for the chair design, that use some part from the second had chair. I will designing chair for computer desk. The part that I will use for the final design either the front leg or the back leg, because those elements are the most stand out from my second hand chair.

Second Hand Chair

Its my second hand chair, I bought it from Chapel Bazar and cost me $20. Its a primary school chair, has wider back feet that the front. The purpose might be for stable reason because kid possibly play while their sitting. There are no cushion on the seat and poorly made, but I saw a lot of possibilities on this chair. From the ergonomics side, quality material, finishes, and also aesthetic there are many aspects could be improve.

Exploded Chair

NGV Sketch

Armchair 41 by Alvar Aalto

This chair surprisingly comfortable because the flex of the painted plywood. The frame made from laminated birch. Really simple and clean design.

Lounge Chair 670 by Charles Eames

Manufacture by Herman Miller Company. The main material from plywood and cushion on the top for comfort. The plywood bended in one direction in the both end, the plywood set on a mould to creates the desire shape. To hold two pieces together, steel on the back screwed to the rubber and than attach to the plywood.

The leg is wide spread and has five steel branch to make the chair strong and stable specially when somebody laying down. In addition of comfort, the cushion makes the chair more elegant and integrate with plywood very well.

 

Chair from the Willow Tea Room

This chair design 1903 by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Made from ebonised oak, and rush. The chair adapting rush seating and ladder-back chair. Connection rear legs makes the design blend with the back of the chair.

Armchair LCI

Design by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand in 1928. made from modern material such as steel and chrome-plated. Simple and elegant design, machine production. Has innovation arm rest idea.

Bottom view

Interesting idea underneath the seat, at the both end of the cushion connected with spring so make the chair more flexible when some body seat on it.

Tubes are welded together to make strong base.

Barcelona Chair 1929 by Ludwig MIS VAN DER ROHE

Made from leather for the cushion and stainless steel for the frame. There are several leather ribs at bottom and back for the cushions hold in the place. I guest, the reason using leather is for the flexibility and the make the chairs light weight.

The intersection of the frames are welded together, and the thickness of stainless steel makes the chair strong. The other advantages from steel is durable and longer life span. Leather create the elegant mood and easy to clean up.

Lady Writing Desk and Chair by Carlo BUGATTI

Both chair and desk are symmetrical from the from view. Made from several materials like ebonised wood, wood, ivory, painted vellum, pewter, brass, cotton cord, silk tassels.
My opinion, it looks really decorative, and haven't cosinder ergonomics much.

A Brief of Furniture Design

Prehistoric Furniture
Begin when people learned to farm and live permanently. Earliest know furniture was in Europe at Sara Brae in the Orkney Island in Scotland about 2,000BC. The furniture are made from stone.

Ancient Egyptian Furniture
The rich Egyptian lived in large and comfortable houses, with painted wall and floors. The furniture founded from wood, like bed, chairs, table, and chests as storage. They still used wooden as head rest.  On the other hand, ordinary people lived in simpler home made from mud. They sat on the brick, benches around the wall. They used reed chests or wooden pegs on walls to store things.

Ancient Greek Furniture
The Greeks stored things in wooden chest or hung them from wooden pegs on the walls. People reclined on couches (also act like a bed). The couches were simply wooden frames with rope webbing and mats or rugs laid on top.

Roman Furniture
The owner of furniture still the wealthy family. The used comfortable furniture and carved. Rich people use to be ate while reclining on couches. They use oil lamp for light.

Saxon Furniture
They usually lived together in one room. The upper class slept on the bed with the straw mattresses and pillows but the poorest slept on floor. Mostly know Saxon furniture are heavy and basic such as wooden benches, tables, tapestries. There were no panes of glass in windows, even at wealthy family.


Furniture in The Middle Ages
The the Saxon, people still lived together. The different is the upper people has a room above of great hall. They slept surrounded with curtain to protect them from droughts and privacy. The other developed on the great hall, they had fire place and chimney on the both end. Furniture is very rare at that time, only the lord had the chair. That's why they call it chair man. Servants sat on the stools or benches.

16th Century
Furniture still a rare thing and developed for wealthy people. Most of furniture has a basic shape. They used oak as material the same thing with Middle ages. Bed became more comfortable, for example they used feather mattresses and had four- poster hung with curtain. Glass and chimneys are more common.

17th Century
Furniture are more comfortable and decorated. Walnut and mahogany used for the first time as material. Veneering technique became new trend of decorating. Coating also introduced at this time.


18th Century
Furniture become more common and well developed. Famous furniture maker at that time such as Thomas Chippendale, George Hepplewhite, Thomas Sheraton, James Cox (clock maker). In America the first great cabinet maker were Duncan Phyfe, John Goddard, and Samuel Mclntire.

19th Century
for the first time furniture was mass-produced. That's why makes furniture's price going down and leads lower. standard

20th Century
Rising living standard meant it was possible to furnish all the rooms.During the time ordinary people's furniture greatly improved in quality and design. In the 1920s and 1930s a new style of furnitue and architecure was introduced. It was Art Deco (familiar with geometric shape). The name Art Deco came from an Exhibition on Paris in 1925 called Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs. Britain became affluent society and standard of furniture for ordinary people, there are two famous designers of 20th Century are Ron Arad and John Makepeace.

Source
Lambert,T 2011, A BRIEF HISTORY OF FURNITURE, seen on from: http://www.localhistories.org/furniture.html, accessed: 15.8.2011