Reiki
Furniture design (Working table)
Final Year Project
"Free to do whatever design direction you want"
I was interested in furniture design but not just any furniture design. I believe a strong story makes a valauable design.
Target Audience:
Young working adults aged from early 20s to early 30s.
Why?
The time in life where most feel stressful as they start a family while juggling with work. Thus, it is a life-changing period for them.
Problem faced:
Work to meet deadlines > Deadline get nearerbut not making progress > Leads to frustrations, anger, unhappiness and stress
Current Solution:
Most common ways people usually do to relieve stress.
Mini punching bag
(Punching)
Soft plush
(Punching)
Stress ball
(Squeezing)
Mini flipping table
(Flipping)
Music theraphy
Does it work?
This article is based on 2019 results showing that practising progressive muscle relaxation tend to experience greater relaxation.
How might we
encourage stress relief through a multi-sensory experience
How might we
encourage quick stress-relief through a multi-sensory experience
Researched on stress-free countries:
To understand the lifestyle of other countries so that we can learn from them.
It is shown that Iceland is the most stress-free country. Thus, I went on to research more about Iceland's culture and lifestyle.
Iceland's culture and lifestyle:
Icelandic loves music. It offers a diversity of style and genres from hip-hop to contemporary music. They have music festivals throughout the country.
Serenity and innocence.
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Kirkjufell mountain is known as "the most photographed mountain" and "the most beautiful" in Iceland. Iceland has much beautiful natural scenery that visual arts are often inspired by it.
Their environment encourages them to go on camping especially during summer.
Icelandic design uses sustainable materials with playful and unique styles.
Icelandic knits their sweaters because of the cold weather there and to lessen expenses. When they knit too many sweaters or did not want their current sweater, they can go to second-handed shops to sell their knitted sweaters at a cheaper price. Hence, it is an economical choice.
"þetta reddest!"
Iceland's national slogan which means everything will work out all okay.
Ideation:
Incorporate and inspired by Iceland's culture and lifestyle.
After receiving some feedback and researching, I decided to design a working table because that is where most people do their work.
Concept 1
Concept 2
Concept 3
Concept 1 and 2 is more obvious that it is inspired by Iceland's beautiful scenery while the 3rd concept has more privacy. Thus I attempt to combine the concepts.
Refinements
Testing various types of fabric placement and colour of the divider.
Scaled-down prototypes to gauge the proportion.
Change the divider form and tried a few variations of colours.
Colour research:
Pastel Colours:
- Symbolise neutrality giving the feeling of peace, soft and mild.
- Ability to enhance your mood
- Can consider grey undertones for those who are looking for a smoothing interior space.
Blue:
- Known as the most calming colour due to its soothing colour.
- Promotes physical and mental relaxation thus reduces stress.
Green:
- Good for eyes
- Fresh choice for ppl sitting in front of the screen for long hrs.
Brown: is the colour of stability and very down to earth. (realistic)
Tried a variety of colours to see which matches the best.
Chose green for the divider and blue foam because greens are good for eyes and blue helps to calm the user.
Material research:
- Foam material
Gel and foam (commonly used)
Non-toxic fillers (DIY)
Closed cell polyurethane rubber foam
Water beads
Slime
Cyber Gel HGX
- Wood
Ash
Oak
Beech
Chose to work with:
- Beech as it is a common wood used for furniture that many carpenters like to work with while giving off an elegant look to the furniture.
- Closed-cell rubber foam because it can give a smooth and flat surface so that it flushes with the surface.
Beech
Brushed stainless steel
Closed cell foam
Stretch lining
(to cover the foam)
Stockinette Stitch using wool
Glass/ Clear acrylic
Finalised Design:
Reiki encourages quick stress relief by encouraging sound therapy and squeezable foam.
Squeezable foam also acts as a comfortable armrest for users who works for long hours.
Proportion.
Although the front legs may give a "not stable" impression, the back legs have a strong structure to ensure that it is stable.
Divider for privacy. Inspired by the knitted pattern that Icelandic commonly uses to knit their sweaters.
Reiki's stationery compartment is inspired by the clear water reflection of the Kirkjufell Mountain which claims to be "the most photographed mountain."
A large workspace gives users space to breathe without feeling cluttered.
Prototype:
3D printed a scaled down (1:5) to test scale.
Outsourcing:
Had to change some parts of my design to make it easier to manufacture.
Straighten the back of the table.
Beech instead of black stainless steel for the front legs so that it looks blended to the divider.
Was suggested to use Matt black metal instead of brushed black metal as it is trending.
Changed the colour and material of the divider as it is costly and difficult to manufacture. Had to make the fabric for the cover and the foam the same to reduce manufacturing cost.
General dimension drawing which is then seperated in part drawings.
Poster:
Due to the Corona virus, there is no physical gradshow so it became an e-grashow instead.
Explanation on the poster.
Testing:
"Foam is very comfortable for my arms to rest on"