THE WING CHAIR

DESCRIPTION

Wing Chair brings an elevated feel to your space, whether it’s outdoor or indoor. It provides a place to lie down and sit while being detached from the ground, letting the leather carry you in any position.

TOOLS

• Welding, Metalworking, Upholstery, Product Photography
• SOLIDWORKS, Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro

TIMELINE

APRIL 2024 - MAY 2024

CREDITS

• Model: Un Jingjang

BACKGROUND

CONCEPT

How can I design a piece of furniture that lifts a person off the ground in multiple positions?

I was inspired by the natural shape of the human body when lying down and sitting. Like a wing, I aimed to create an open invitation for someone to rest their body on this furniture without feeling restricted.

OVERVIEW

PROCESS

CAD SOLIDWORKS

FRAME DEVELOPMENT (TUBE BENDING, WELDING)

FINISH (WAX, GRINDING)

UPHOLSTERY (PROTOTYPE, SADDLE STITCH)

STEP 1

CAD

After prototyping the form, I used SOLIDWORKS to determine the radius of each bend and the length of each tube. Due to the limitations of the Di-Acro bender, multiple bends could not be placed next to each other, so I had to identify which sections needed to be cut and welded.

Additionally, the fabrication process had other constraints, such as the radius needing to be below a certain diameter because of the tube's thickness.

STEP 2

STEEL FRAME

Steel tubes were chosen for their balance of strength and lightweight properties, which made the piece both durable and functional. Steel was also an ideal material for TIG welding. During welding, jigs were used to ensure symmetry between both sides of the structure.

STEP 3

FINISH

After welding, I ground down the welded spots to achieve a cleaner finish. To protect the surface and avoid rusting, I applied metal wax before upholstering the furniture. During this process, I explored various color and material options for weaving the frame. Due to a tight budget, I selected vinyl leather as a durable and cost-effective material capable of supporting the user.

STEP 4

UPHOLSTERY

Upholstering a steel tube presented a challenge because I needed to ensure the material could securely hold onto the frame while supporting a person. By first prototyping with nylon webbing, I discovered that weaving was a viable upholstery method. I experimented with various patterns to determine the most visually appealing option and measured each strap to calculate the required fabric lengths accurately.

To ensure durability, I used the saddle stitch, one of the strongest stitching techniques commonly used for leather. I hand-sewed each leather piece as I wrapped it around the frame.

FINAL

PHOTOS

CREDITS: Un Jingjang, In Conversation with Leah Beeferman