Future furniture

Staff -- Interior Design, 1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

For Interior Design's third annual juried competition, a deluge of strong submissions yielded a stellar group of winners

The 2002 Future Furniture Awards drew a jaw-dropping four times more entries than ever before. While the volume and quality made for difficult judging, we were energized and inspired by the contents of all those carefully prepared envelopes. Submissions came from everywhere and everyone: from Canada to Japan, from students pulling all-nighters to established architects trying their hand at furniture. We thank every hopeful for offering us hope—and solid evidence that design's future looks bright. —The Editors

L-Seat

These interlocking cushions, made of polypropylene covered in polyurethane foam, rest on a base of urethane gel. To accommodate changing seating needs, the components can be reconfigured—from simple lounge seating to floor cushions. With a little imagination, the possibilities are endless, explain the members of design collaborative Hypertecture Studio. Best of all, two L-seats make a love seat. circle 334

Interlock

"This chair derives from geometric shapes locking together to form a seemingly complex yet completely simple idea," says designer Ian Graham. The curvaceous backrest, which dovetails with the seat, has the ability to shift into two positions. Upholstery in complementary colors highlights the point of intersection. circle 335

Screen, No Screen

"Sometimes, the things we think are barriers aren't barriers at all," John Wells says of the concept behind his design. Made of cherry-wood tiles mounted on stainless-steel hinge pins, this screen elegantly reconfigures to divide space without blocking light or visibility. circle 336

Calder's Table

Sir Isaac Newton would be proud. Gravity is at the heart of this design by Ali Tayar's architecture firm. The weight of the lacquered MDF tabletop helps stabilize movable bronze legs shaped like crowbars, which slide into positions where load is evenly distributed. circle 337

Axis

Designed by Erica Eden, this teak-and-aluminum chaise longue offers a sophisticated alternative to all those clunky poolside loungers—the ones with the notched backs to regulate reclining level. With Axis, simply swivel the back to switch from upright reading to downright relaxing. circle 338

Illuminair

Challenging common conceptions, this lamp operates via squeeze bulb instead of switch. Air pumped into the fixture pushes an 18-watt fluorescent lamp upward, exposing it more fully. Says designer Joel Hoag, "The impression is of filling a room with light simply by moving air." circle 339

TFL

According to TAG Front Architects, this chair is an investigation into minimalism. The piece comprises merely a bentwood frame, a cushioning system, and a stainless-steel support. Contrasting materials—common felt and exotic zebrawood—maximize visual impact. circle 340

Halfpipe

This chair's deceptively delicate seat, made of steel wrapped in maple or walnut veneer, drapes to form a pocket for storage. The piece is the latest from Victor Chan, who wowed us at the 2002 International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York. We find no evidence of a sophomore slump. circle 341

Squiggle

Architect Paul Quinn Davis designed this storage system for his own home studio. Made of maple, acrylic, and stainless steel, shelving can be oriented vertically or horizontally; individual wood units can serve as a seat or step stool. "Really," says Davis, "it's a piece of sculpture looking for a function." circle 342

Inframince

Made from a single sheet of folded 1/8-inch stainless steel, this piece expresses the essential function of a chair, to support the seated. According to James Khamsi, "The abstract plane of material defines the sitting body and the space around it." circle 343

Billow

Architect Douglas Friddle's case-goods series involves a standard, structural frame that receives user-specified "plug-ins," i.e. flat or contoured panels that act as doors, drawers, sides, or tops. circle 344

Lightmobile

Mounted on castors, this acrylic side table offers illumination, too, courtesy of a battery-powered fluorescent sculpture. The designer, Janice Lopez, is a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. circle 345

Rover

Displaced dot-commers might appreciate this low-tech support tool for the high-tech nomad. Jeff Jenkins and his colleagues designed the product to assemble as a traveling storage container, with outer wheels and a handle resembling a divining rod. At journey's end, elements disassemble into a workstation. circle 346

Hang Me Two

Husband-wife team Seth and Jan Keaveny say they were "targeting the ritual of preparation." Their customizable contemporary valet, constructed from aluminum, stainless steel, and either fiberboard or hardwood, includes hangers, tie rack, mirror, and shelf. circle 347

Satellite

This table's top—made of Corian, anodized aluminum, and powder-coated steel—comprises a series of trays that can be artfully arranged or carried away. "The trays represent the individuals who complete the table, initiating dining rituals and social interactions," explains designer Peter Pless. circle 348

Shardelier and Shardlery

As second-time Future Furniture Award winner Daniel Harper explains, "This lamp was inspired by the strong but misguided desire to throw bottles." Users pitch glass items into Shardlery, a metal frame backed with stepped concrete. The resultant shards are funneled into Shardelier, a lamp structure that illuminates them. Talk about releasing aggression while satisfying recycling needs. circle 349

Reclining Nude 2

The female in repose, a form that has inspired artists by the thousands, gave rise to architect David Ling's latest furniture piece. Ling and his associates created the oh-so-sinuous shape from a plywood substrate, steel, and felt. circle 350

Sag

Perry Dixon's exploration of the physics of the cantilever led to this table—which looks a lot more like an über-hip diving board. "The cantilever not only distorts visual conventions but also challenges the limitations of cement," explains Dixon. He took great pains to reinforce this design's subtly curved gypsum cement with agents including fiberglass, burlap, lead, and stainless-steel mesh. circle 351

Spiral Shelves

Sure to please the design-savvy DIY crowd, Truck Product Architecture's storage system is based on notches and tenons working together to offer two orienting options, so the construction process determines the unit's final shape. The MDF components are powder-coated, an earth-friendly alternative to paint. circle 352

If Chairs Could Fly

Denmark's wind turbines provided part of the inspiration for designer Matthew Weatherly's seductively aerodynamic and anthropomorphic seat. Its maple construction also mimics the anatomy of the human spine. circle 353