Two of our own NCSU Graduate Students are entered in the OFS Hotseat Design Competition.

It's an open competition for chairs and seating, and while the judging is done independently, there is a public choice award!

So if you have a few minutes, please check out these two entries:






You will have to create an account to vote, but it only takes a few seconds and if they can get even just a hundred high ratings (you can rate as many items as you like), it's pretty good chance for them winning and being noticed.

Thanks guys!

3/30/2006 4:49:42 PM

i would not sit in those chairs

3/30/2006 4:53:22 PM

the Alto is an ottoman, not a chair.

And the second one (the Stratum) is amazingly comfortable, a lot of ergonomic design went into it. And its sanded and finished with a polyacrylic stain.

3/30/2006 4:54:58 PM

We need more furniture that hangs from the ceiling so I don’t have to bump my legs all the time, especially for tall ppl w/ long legs. With only furniture on the ground, you’re only tapping half the space in a room. You could still find comfortable and sleek designs, which are novel in that they hang from the ceiling in some stylish way from a poll, or something like a chain or string to swing. I know you can get some swinging chairs, but what about tables or desks or counter tops? Fans and lights don’t take up nearly all the room. Where’s my ceiling furniture?

3/30/2006 4:58:30 PM

how bout some chairs that are eco-friendly

[Edited on March 30, 2006 at 5:18 PM. Reason : .]

3/30/2006 5:18:14 PM

uh, wood chairs? how much more eco-friendly do you want?

3/30/2006 5:37:21 PM

those look riduculously uncomfortable

artfags

3/30/2006 6:46:04 PM

Quote :

"i would not sit in those chairs"

the best chair is made out of tempurpedic

3/30/2006 6:47:03 PM

They look fine, but I wouldn't want to sit in them.

[Edited on March 30, 2006 at 6:50 PM. Reason : .]

3/30/2006 6:49:19 PM

the second one looks sweet the first one looks uncomfortable and ugly

3/30/2006 7:01:29 PM

obviously, you didn't read the thread.

the first one is not a chair

3/30/2006 7:03:16 PM

I'm sorry, even on second look, there's nothing special about them. I expect more from the furniture designers of tomorrow. It's just a laminate wooden chair with a back rest that has been embellished by a graphic artist.

3/30/2006 7:05:15 PM

i like it...

3/30/2006 7:39:42 PM

^^Which shows how little you know about furniture, seating or design.

Design of tomorrow != throw more shit on a seat.

There is only one other person in the world creating furniture like that second chair, and even he is new to the scene. It's VERY forward looking design. The backrest was ergonomically designed. The guy spent a lot of time going through anthropometric data, user testing, functional mockups and prototypes to get to that form.

That's fine if it doesn't match your TASTE, but you have no idea what you are talking about trying to call out the design.

And

Quote :

"obviously, you didn't read the thread. the first one is not a chair"

Yes, it's an ottoman/stool, which you would have know either by just LOOKING at it, reading the thread or reading the entry page the picture links to. Yet more reasons why you apparently have no clue what you are talking about.

[Edited on March 30, 2006 at 8:09 PM. Reason : .]

3/30/2006 8:08:34 PM

im signing up to vote

but this one wins the funny category

3/30/2006 8:17:49 PM

Wow those look incredibly uncomfortable.

3/30/2006 8:20:58 PM

^^hahaha, my favorite entry is the Stump


Hahahhaha

3/30/2006 8:46:36 PM

i voted for this

3/30/2006 8:48:02 PM

a chair without a back is worthless to me


ps. don't somebody come and buts my chops about the ottoman, I know its a footstool so its not applicable

3/30/2006 8:50:23 PM

Quote :

"It's VERY forward looking design"

I'm just curious who made you an authority?

3/30/2006 8:55:54 PM

he's an Industrial Design grad student.

3/30/2006 8:57:32 PM

^^you can vote on em all

3/30/2006 8:58:36 PM

I hardly think an Industrial Design grad student can make a statement like this:

Quote :

"There is only one other person in the world creating furniture like that second chair, and even he is new to the scene."

That is, unless he is just echoing something a professor said, who I would be a bit more convinced. Keep in mind we are talking about Tyler here, he'll be the authority on something whether he is completely wrong or not.

[Edited on March 30, 2006 at 9:03 PM. Reason : x]

3/30/2006 9:03:01 PM

I didn't see that statement. However, being in design, you stay up on what people are doing. It would be possible that someone else is doing something like that, but it has not been manufactured or published and is lying low

[Edited on March 30, 2006 at 9:09 PM. Reason : ]

3/30/2006 9:07:54 PM

^^
no, the other guy doing this style of furniture is doing it commercially, and selling the stuff.

The guy's name is Bryce Moore and the company is Context Furniture (http://contextfurniture.com) and they didn't hit the public eye until a couple of years ago.

He was definitely the first guy to start manufacturing anything like this, I'm sure it's been DONE before this, but not with any kind of recognition.

Kevin's work is defintiely independent and a different in a lot of ways, but the process is pretty similar.

as to:

Quote :

"I'm just curious who made you an authority?"

Knowing the guy who created the chair and his inspirations behind it and the line of furniture to follow it, and knowing a fair bit about the furniture industry, what he is doing is extremely cutting edge. I'm no authority on it, but if you do a little research, and go to a few of the furniture shows/conventions, it's pretty apparent.

And I really just want this thread to be in support of our fellow students!

If you have critique's on the thing GO SIGN UP AND POST YOUR COMMENTS!!

[Edited on March 30, 2006 at 9:22 PM. Reason : .]

3/30/2006 9:19:14 PM

Quote :

"the Alto is an ottoman, not a chair"

You, sir, are gay.

3/30/2006 9:28:46 PM

What is it with design students who want to fuck up that which was already working fine?

3/30/2006 10:08:24 PM

goddamn.

they aren't trying to fuck it up, they're trying to make it better.

3/30/2006 11:01:37 PM

Contemporary furniture is t3h winz.

Can't wait till I have the $texas to afford some...

3/30/2006 11:45:24 PM

art fag chairs are not about sitting or comfort. They are almost all universally uncomfortable, but nothing makes you look hip like a crazy ass chair

3/30/2006 11:58:28 PM

^which is why these two entries deserve the votes, because they aren't artfag chairs (which a LOT of the shit in this competition is.)

3/31/2006 12:06:27 AM

Quote :

"ergonomic design"

webster says that ergonomic is "an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely"

You don't get points for saying a piece of furniture has ergonomic design, since all furniture is made with humans in mind and therefore ergonomic

3/31/2006 12:08:59 AM

that shit is ugly.

3/31/2006 12:10:01 AM

is someone going to tell me how sitting on a piece of wood is comfortable

3/31/2006 12:32:13 AM

sorry, but my bony ass needs a cushion.

3/31/2006 12:34:51 AM

Tyler, this is quite possibly the worst place to post this. Then again this is real world opinions and I guess designers need to back their shit up against non designers.


In terms of shit looking uncomfortable.

People have to realize that certain chairs have certain functions. The ottomon is not meant to be sat on for hours on end. IF it is to be sat on, it would probably be for under thirty minutes. My assumption at best. Don't know the designers intent.

You may say that's stupid, who the fuck would buy a chair where people would only be able to sit in them for thirty minutes. Places that want people to stay there, but not the entire day. For example, A book store.

This is why people design chairs.

3/31/2006 12:48:48 AM

Oh, and by the way, the second chair is eco-friendly. It uses material called OSB, which basically means its recycled woodchips and glue. The stuff that acts as cheap base-flooring for most houses. Despite what people think, wood is eco-friendly, so long as you use it wisely.

3/31/2006 12:51:46 AM

Quote :

"webster says that ergonomic is "an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely" You don't get points for saying a piece of furniture has ergonomic design, since all furniture is made with humans in mind and therefore ergonomic."

Just because it is made for a human, does not make it ergonomic. It is ergonomically designed because it was designed using ergonomic data and scientific backing.

Just because you don't understand that ergonomics and human factors is a SCIENCE, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Way to make yourself look ignorant there.

Quote :

"is someone going to tell me how sitting on a piece of wood is comfortable"

Quote :

"sorry, but my bony ass needs a cushion."

Have you ever sat in a well made rocking chair? Or how about a Herman Miller Aeron chair? The Aeron is regarded as one of the most comfortable and ergonomic chairs in the world, and guess what, NO CUSHIONS. It's almost rock hard as far as the surface goes.

I love the fact that probably 2/3 of you guys are sitting in 50 dollar fake leather office chairs from Office Depot, trying to make assumptions about what a well designed chair should be like.

^and^^ thank you for pointing out that there are other uses for chairs besides sitting at a computer all day long. It's amazing how many blockheaded people there are. And thank god someone actually knows what OSB is. You give me some faith in humanity again.

3/31/2006 1:32:35 AM

oriented strand board

anyone who watches any of those home-repair shows on TV show know what that is

3/31/2006 1:39:56 AM

artfags trying to dress up shit as roses. par for the course

3/31/2006 1:45:09 AM

ahhaahaha, which shows how little you know about ID. We don't do the "oh this makes me feel pretty" stuff.

3/31/2006 2:12:41 AM

elitist bullshit is what this shit is.

3/31/2006 2:15:30 AM

elitist? how? How does a chair that's intended to be affordable, eco-friendly and comfortable become elitist?

3/31/2006 2:20:18 AM

why does that 2nd one have the bump towards the top, is that for your neck?

3/31/2006 2:24:16 AM

as in those chair are ugly and don't have cushions, yet they are "AWESOME CHAIRS" because they were designed "ERGONOMICALLY ARTFUL" or whatever.

3/31/2006 2:26:09 AM

^^The top of the back of the 2nd chair comes to just below your armpits, it aint that big.

^Cushions make bad chairs tolerable. A good chair does not need a cushion. That is absolutely false logic. It's like saying a car can't be fast without a spoiler.

And ERGONOMICS IS A SCIENCE. There is no 'elitist' in ergonomics. It's well designed or not.

You might not care for the aesthetic of the chair, which is absolutely fine, but that doesn't make it badly designed. Just because you don't understand what the field is, or the work involved, doesn't invalidate it.

3/31/2006 2:32:15 AM

uh huh. there is NO WAY that a rock solid chair is anywhere near as comfortable as a good chair with a cushion. you are just dead wrong there.

3/31/2006 2:48:50 AM

yes, but i can i bring them home in the trunk of my hybrid car?

3/31/2006 3:00:33 AM

^^True. But not all chairs are intended to be sat in 8 hours a day. And believe it or not, that chair is incredibly comfortable to sit in, even for long periods. Which is part of the whole point of it in the first place.

^Hahahaha, funny thing is, the guy who designed that drives a F250 Super Duty. He definitely isn't some hippy, neither are most of us. Just a good designer.

3/31/2006 3:18:51 AM

i'm not saying its a bad chair

it's just not to my aesthetic standards


i'm a lazyboy kinda guy.

however, the lower lumbar support as well as the curvature of the seat rest and the angled legs make that chair ridiculously "natural" in the seating of the body. i'm sure its very comfortable, and, were i a doctor or a professional who needed furniture for a waiting area, i'd get them. i'd just never have it in my home. they're just not "warm" enough.

[Edited on March 31, 2006 at 3:22 AM. Reason : fung shway!]

3/31/2006 3:22:16 AM