Shift

Capstone Project

Shift was my final year project and was the result of my thesis which focused on the state of furniture manufacturing in Australia. The brief I set myself was to design a piece of furniture that was sympathetic to the changes in working and social habits in and around the home. The target market was young professionals with outdoor living areas. Taking key findings from my thesis into account, the design sought to minimise labour costs and use materials sourced and manufactured in Australia.

  • IDEATION

    Here I focused on the juxtaposition of formality vs leisure in relation to elements such as materials, ergonomics and function.

  • REFINEMENT

    This stage of the process involved copious amounts of sketching to resolve aesthetics and manufacturing details.

  • ERGONOMICS

    Rig testing was necessary to find the optimal angle to provide two different yet ergonomic seating positions. The rig was constructed of MDF and hard foam.

  • FUNCTION

    Shifts core function is a set of interchangeable cushions that when swapped provide two different seating positions. The cushions are constructed primarily of building foam to give rigidity and structure.

  • SPACIAL FLUENCY

    Shift aims to bridge the indoors to the outdoors. Its different seating positions gives the flexibility of a task and lounge setting.

  • MATERIALS

    Shift is constructed mainly of powder-coated bent steel flat bar with Australian hardwood armrests. The cushions are wrapped in UV and water resistant fabric.

 

Process video