Furniture Design/Build Project Book

Amber Wasinski - 12.08.011 - Furniture Design IntD 414

Adirondack Chair The very first Adirondack chair was designed in 1903 by a man named Thomas Lee. It was actually first named the Westport chair, after the vacation town very near the Adirondack Mountains where it was designed. The original Westport chair is quite similar in form to the Adirondack; however, it was much simpler, being made with a single slat back. The sloped back and large characteristic arms still remain, as these are the most notable of the chairs features.

Thomas Lee invented the chair as a solution to his family’s home having lack of lawn chairs at their summer residence. He made it by hand, assembling peices in different ways, letting his family be the judge of the most suitable design. They

preferred the sloped back and sturdy frame which allowed the chair to remain stable on unlevel terrain, and also let the user to sit upright while on a downward slope to have a greater veiw of the mountains.

The chair was certainly deisgned with its users and surroundings in mind, as it is very suitable for outdoor use. The Adirondack chair is also made of many thin slats to allow for water drainage. Although, it was also originally made of hemlock because of its abundance in the northeast, despite its lack of durability. Its form today represents a relaxed feeling and is often associated with the summer and outdoors, which is very similar to

its original intent. Today, however, it is also seen as a beach chair, or for any outdoor setting. The form can also be interpreted in many ways, as there are now curves, rockers, loveseats, and a multitude of other adaptations associated with the Adirondack chair.

The original Adirondack chair was made out of eleven peices of wood that could be cut from a single board and nailed together. This was the most appropriate construction considering the time period and location of its invention. There have been many variations on the form of the chair, so this amount of material and fabrication technique does not completely hold true today.

Panton Chair (S Chair)

The Panton Chair is perhaps the most well known of Verner Panton’s designs, who was a very influential designer of the 1960’s and 70’s. During that time culture and design took on a very psychedlic feel and much of Panton’s work expresses this, as he experimented with bold shapes and colors. Also characteristic of this time was the invention and more wide use of plastic, which Panton was very enthusiastic about. These cultural aspects became the design inspiration for the Panton Chair, which was introduced to the public in 1967.

Although the chair was finally prodced in 1967, it was originally conceived by Panton in 1956. He submitted it to a furniture design competition, but had only sketches to depict his idea. In the next few years he developed

more working sketches and a full scale model of the chair out of polystyrene. Therefore the chair was not sitable. But, with these tools Verner Panton set on a mission to find a manufacturer for his dream. By 1959, Panton had finalized the design, and it was to be the first cantilevered single form molded plastic chair which was created by one piece of material. He partnered with Vitra sx years later, and from 1965-1967 he worked closey with the company to create a working product.

Since its reveal the Panton Chair has become one of the most iconic furniture pieces of the 20th century.

It is iconic because of the innovation and technology that went into the design of the

http://www.adirondackchairs.com/adirondack-chairs/adirondackchairhistoryarticle.cfm http://clarksoutdoorchairs.com/adirondack_chair_history_.html http://www.vitra.com/en-in/home/products/panton-chair-classic/overview/

chair. The design is so recognizable that even with its 50th anniversary just past, the signature Panton form is still a favorite of many, and the whimsical nature never grows old.

Verner Panton, like Thomas Lee, focused on the comfort and ergonomics of the chair. Both have a sloped back for the utmost comfort; however the Westport Chair is more similar to the Panton, as it is made from a single back and seat, as opposed to the many slats of the Adirondack. Also differing from the more heavy and stationary Adirondack, the Panton Chair was deisgned to be stackable for easy mass transport. It is a single, plastic, factory manufactured peice that is often seen in trendy or retro environments; and is praised for its sleek smooth shape, without any outlying peices, even arms.

made of wood readly avaiable material designed by family man developed in one summer originally produced one at a time primarily outdoor angular profile low to ground originally natural tones casual outdoorsy feel bulky, stationary form heavy, hard to move variations on form characterized by large arms slatted seat and back

Differences

Similarities designed for comfort - ergonomic sloped back - made of very few pieces (for their time period) - organic in a way Much inspiration for the design of an Adirondack chair can be taken from the Panton Chair, by focusing on its concepts of color, comfort, and simplicity, not necessarily its signature curvilinear form. By focusing on these concepts one could create a chair which would both modernize the style of the Adirondack, but also some what take it back to its roots in the Westport Chair, while maintaining the comfort and style that is characteristic of both the Adirondack and the Panton.

Differences injection mold plastic made from new material product of a famous designer design and fab. process of 10 years manufactured in mass quantities primarily indoor curvilinear profile table height seating vibrant colors trendy, hip vibe sleek, easily moveable form light, stackable no arms single form set form

Early Iterations

The Panton Chair as a precedent, and my parents as the clients were the driving forces influencing my concept. The early stages of design were defined mainly by sketching, and a simple sketch up model for scale. I wanted to embody the simplicity of the Panton Chair and took inspiration

from its signature sleek profile. As my intent was to be very simple and the chair to be for casual socialization I wanted to produce multiple chairs that could be moved easily to any location and stacked during storage to minimize the mass.

Further Iterations

In intermediate sketches I took on an approach of folding, as opposed to stacking, in order to create even better ease of storage and maneuverability. Since this allowed me only to make one chair, I focused also on making sitting in the chair a more personal, as opposed to social experience.

I wanted to make it a place to relax, read, listen to music, and just be alone and enjoy nature and ones own company.

Study Model

In making the first study model, the folding idea morphed into a chair which was merely adjustable to fit the preference of the user.

This afforded the chair the ability to be a more permanent outdoor fixture, and yet adaptable to any situation.

With its two similar pieces, the chair can move from laying to siitting up, and any position in between.

Form Finalization and Jointing Studies In finalizing my design I focused on keeping the profile of the chair very elegant, to invoke the modern feeling of the Panton Chair. I kept it as simple as possible working with the one curved shape. I repeated and rotated the base to create the backrest and further support for the chair. As I was producing final drawings I decided to make the base further pronounced by making it thicker, and placing it on the outside, rather than the inside of the backrest. Thia way the base also became the armrests.

After deciding on this final shape I had to work with finalizing the measurements, as well as the joints to make sure that the chair would stand. To gage the scale I produced

Interior Graphic Standards Student Edition

a 1/4� scale model to judge the widths and sizes of the pieces in relation to one another. The sketch up model allowed me to judge the angle of the back based on a scale figure.

As for the joints I experiented with placing the seat on the ground and slightly off, as well as how to connect the seat to the arms. I decided to use the same slotting technique used in attaching the slats of the seat. I felt it would provide the best structure to cut 3/4� out of the arms so that the pieces could slide together, and then dowel rods to provide more spport. This technique provides enough compresion to resist the tension which could cause the chair to collapse.

Ergonomic Studies To aid in my ergonomic study I further developed my sketch up model of my chair. I used this model to decide the angle of the back and specific dimensions of the chair based on aesthetics and proportion of the human body. We see in this study that it is not the easiest to get out of the chair, but this is intentional as it is expected that someone will get comfortable and spend a good deal of time in the chair once they sit down.

Being very low to the ground the chair evokes the casual comfort of the Adirondack chair, and the modern interpretation of the arms draw inspiration from the Panton chair but still expose the prominence of the arms in an Adirondack chair. With this study we can see that the chair allows much more versatility of the body than the Adirondack. There are many different positions in which one can sit comfortably due to the gentle sloping back.

1 1/2”

3/4”

2” 1”

Dimensions and Ergonomics The dimensions of this chair were decided based on studies of the human body and symmetry of the the piece. The two sides which provide the structure for the slats are each 1 1/2”, and using a slotting technique they overlap 3/4” to join together. The seating curve was placed at an angle to support a body laying down, and was to be in line with the arms.

Interior Graphic Standards Student Edition

The pressure points in my chair could vary based on the position of the person in the chair, as the chair allows a lot of variability in the way one sits. You can see two examples of different seatin positions and their respective pressure points. On the left the girl places the most pressure on her shoulders and head, waist, and right calf, while her elbow, forearm, and left foot take on a lesser amount of pressure.

The man above places most of his pressure on his waist, ankles, and upper arm; and places a lesser amount of pressure on his head and right shoulder/upper arm. It depends on the position in which one sits, and the activity they are doing as to where the most pressure is applied.

RPC Submission I produced many iterations of the pieces needed for my chair in AutoCAD. After creating a layout of all the pieces I would need I formatted it properly for submission to the RPC. I layed the pieces out to fit on a 4’x8’ sheet of baltic birch plywood.

Vacu Press

After submitting my file, I did all the preparation I could while waiting to get my pieces back from the RPC. With the help of the RPC staff I laminated two sheets of baltic birch together using the vacu press, and researched and tested different stains for my chair.

Stain Testing Miniwax Wood Finish, Natural 209

http://wiki.daap.uc.edu/groups/infocenter/wiki/7fc3d/ http://www.minwax.com/

Miniwax Wood Finish, Early American 230

Miniwax Wood Finish, English Chestnut 233

Komo Routing and Sanding As I was preparing to put together my chair, the pieces were being cut on the KOMO. I was able to have all of my pieces cut, including predrilled holes fitted to my dowel rods and notches to fit the slats.

The first step after recieving my pieces was to sand them. I needed to sand every piece so that they fit together properly at the joints, and so that each slat fit perfectly into the notches. I sanded everything by hand to achieve a more comfortable and handmade look to the piece. I sanded every peice with 80, 120, 180, and 220 sandpaper to achieve a smooth finish so that the stain could be applied. Before staining I put the chair together to make sure that every piece would fit. Then I took it apart to apply the stain.

Staining and Sealing I used the darker English Chestnut for the armrests, and Early American for the seat. I wanted to achieve a traditional/retro look with the stain to contrast the modern frame. The stain matches my house and fits the wooded lot that my parents live on.

Since the chair will be outside I also applied Thompsons Water Seal to protect it from the weather. http://wiki.daap.uc.edu/groups/infocenter/wiki/7fc3d/ http://www.thompsonswaterseal.com/

Assemblage

After applying the stain I secured the main joints with glue and dowel rods. The dowel rods were used to increase the strength of the connection.

I numbered the end of each of the slats to keep them in orded after I constructed the chair before staining. Each slat fits into a specifc slot in the chair. The numbering system keeps them in order so that the chair can easily be taken apart and moved. Since the chair is quite large I chose not to glue the slats to allow the chair to be more transportable.

Final Product Although quite large, the chair is easy for one person to put together. First stand the frame the appropriate length apart. Then insert every third slat to provide more strength, and fill in with the remaining slats.

By using both the Adirondack and Panton chairs as inspiration, while keeping my parents in mind as clients, and their house as the location, I designed a chair that is a culmination of these influences.

It has a modern profile, while still paying homage to the traditional Adirondack slatting technique. The staining emphasizes the simplicity of the shape that makes up the form and the heirarchy of the supports vs the seat. The chair is meant to envelope the user and provide an individual experience.

It is for lounging, reading, relaxing, etc. and provides an ergonomic and attractive solution for these activities.