Eames Chair Good Design Competition
COMPETITION BRIEF
This competition was an opportunity to reimagine the classic Eames DSR chair. The Good Design Challenge, presented by Herman Miller and Alfred Williams & Company, charged each team to use the provided chair as a canvas for self-expression, to show what good design means. The chairs were then showcased at the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh, and auctioned off, with proceeds going to CAM.
JURY
Chris Johnson - Project Designer, Clearscapes
Eric Gaard - Curator of Design, NCMA
Beth H. Khalifa - Brand Director, Gamila Products/Design Box
RECOGNITION
People Choice Award Winner
MEDIA COVERAGE
Design Milk, Curbed, Archinect, North Carolina Modernist Houses, New Raleigh, and the Alfred Williams & Company Blog
DESIGN BRIEF
Inspired by the premise that "good design is meant to be shared", the chair comfortably seats two while emphasizing the iconic profile of the original. It features an interchangeable section that can be fabricated in a variety of materials, textures, and colors. Team members worked on different aspects of the chair – the base and seat were separated and each cut in half. The profile for the infill was developed from the section of the seat, and the base welded with extension rods. The chair was evaluated structurally to ensure that it could withstand the weight of 2 adults.
The team explored various additive design concepts which used the chair as a canvas, but ultimately decided on a transformative concept that would change the chair into something completely new. The steel base was cut by hand and steel rod extensions were welded in place to create an elongated base. The molded plastic shell was also cut by hand, revealing the profile of the seat which was traced on paper, scanned, and retraced in CAD. This CAD profile was then used to draw the infill layers which were cut out of plywood using the CNC router. The plywood layers were then glued together, sanded smooth, and finished with a glossy poly acrylic. The finished plywood infill is easily removable with the idea that infills of various materials and colors can be interchanged and customized.
Team members included Corey Baughman, Becky Brady, Jon Cardenas, Cathleen Campbell, Anthony Garcia, Jordan Gray, Rob Harkey, Erika Jolleys, Matt Koonts, Will Pate, and Anna Traylor.
