Interview about Ori Accent Chair, winner of the A' Furniture Design Award 2021
The Ori chair is an ergonomic overlap of the ruffled palm, and the Japanese paper fan realised through origami technique. It uses bold colours of the sunflower to form a stand-out piece of art as well. The colours blended with minimal design flares draw attention while complementing confined interiors or outdoor space. The design uses the concept of paper folding and translates it into metal folding.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsMetal as a material was familiar to me from childhood, as my father owned a metal foundry. I began designing and developing products from scrap metal brought to the foundry for melting, turning them into corporate souvenirs. The quality of my work led to more opportunities in various fields such as architecture (facades, foyers, canopies), art (sculptures), and interior design (furniture and decor products). I have always enjoyed tackling the challenges metalwork presents.In 2012, a question came to mind: how could a metal sheet be hand-folded? This thought naturally led me to explore origami. We procured brass and copper sheets and folded them to create small products and jewelry. Over time, we progressed to tabletop items, then to chairs, lights, and other furniture.The Ori Chair was my second chair design. Using the hand-folding technique from the first chair gave me a breakthrough, enabling me to hand-fold larger objects like chairs. While designing the Ori Chair, I aimed for more romanticism by creating something complex yet visually simple, aesthetically pleasing, and comfortable while staying loyal to the material we chose.
When the first prototype of the Ori Chair was created, it featured a raw metal finish. We wanted to introduce a bold color to enhance its visual appeal. The chair's circular form reminded us of a flower, which led us to seek inspiration from nature. The vibrant hue of sunflower petals stood out as an ideal choice—it is fresh, warm, and bold, perfectly complementing the design and adding a lively, harmonious touch to the piece.
The biggest challenge in this process was achieving the success of hand-folding the metal itself. If the metal could be folded by hand, it also meant it could potentially deform under external pressure. We worked on many factors, including the slit length, width, direction, and metal thickness. The slit size and direction were meticulously planned to facilitate ease of folding while ensuring rigidity once the form was complete.
Most of our designs, whether lighting or furniture, are inspired by nature. When drawing inspiration from natural forms, we observe not only their aesthetics but also other factors like stability, color, joinery- junctions, and weight, selecting what is most relevant to our design goals. In our studio garden, we have a ruffled fan palm, and its large, span-like leaves are structurally designed to withstand strong winds and rain, giving them impressive weight-bearing capacity. While we could have used a thicker gauge sheet bent into a conical form, the ruffled fan palm inspired us to choose a thinner sheet construction for the chair, which still provided the required strength and durability.
Initially, the use of wood was not intended for comfort, as the Ori Accent Chair is already quite comfortable without it. The wood was added primarily for aesthetic purposes, to balance the coldness of the metal with the warmth of the wood. While it serves as an embellishment, it also enhances both comfort and visual appeal. We use reclaimed teak wood sourced from Vadodara, India, where our studio is located. The region has a rich history of brick masonry and wood construction, with many buildings over a century old. When these structures are redeveloped, we acquire the wood for reuse in our designs. Additionally, metal is an inherently sustainable material, as it can be melted and reused countless times. Both reclaimed wood and metal contribute to the sustainable design of the Ori Accent Chair, with the metal's durability ensuring a long-lasting product.
Throughout the development process of the Ori Accent Chair, our focus was centered on three key aspects: 1) achieving the hand-folding capability of metal with the right slit pattern, 2) staying true to the primary material (metal) for construction, and 3) significantly reducing packaging size for more efficient transportation, which involved extensive experimentation on the shop floor. We gathered valuable data on slit design and direction patterns to ensure flexibility in hand folding various metals. Our design team is now nearing the final stages, with new lighting and furniture designs in flat-pack models that can also be hand-folded by the user.
It is always satisfying to be on the receiving end of an award, The A' Design Award recognition gave me the confidence to dive deeper into meaningful and innovative design. Such acknowledgment reinforces the importance of pushing boundaries and exploring new possibilities in furniture design.
Choosing the right hardware for the Ori Accent Chair was easy once we understood the materials we were working with. Since we used mild steel for the base, magnets were a great choice to hold the wood in place. This solution made the chair easy to assemble while keeping the design looking clean and simple. We focused on combining smart engineering with good looks to ensure the chair would be durable and endure the market for generations.
As a child, I often opened up broken toys in an attempt to repair them. Although I don’t recall succeeding, the process helped me develop a strong sense of observation. I also enjoyed sketching, painting, and hands-on tinkering with small household objects, which I considered hobbies at the time.I later pursued a bachelor’s degree in engineering, but during my studies, I realized my hobbies were my true calling. I am grateful to have had this realization early in life. My engineering background nurtured my technical thought process, which undoubtedly influenced the development of the Ori Accent Chair's innovative folding mechanism.
To me, the origami technique is akin to inventing an alphabet, where numerous words, vocabulary, and narratives become possible. With metals and other industrial materials, there is immense potential for sustainable furniture design when guided by thoughtful design thinking.The design principles of the Ori Accent Chair are especially relevant to metals like aluminum, brass, and copper, offering a promising path for future innovations in sustainable furniture.
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