Genevieve Armchair
"A DIY chair to treasure like a friend"
The Genevieve Armchair was design as apart of the DIY chair challenge on instagram during the winter of 2020. The DIY chair challenge was put together but two American industrial designers Nicholas Baker and Eric Trine. The brief was simple, design and construct a chair that can be made at home but doesn't look DIY. I had been inspired by Scandinavian designers at the time who were using woven fabric straps to create beautiful minimalist designs. I set out to create a version of this woven chair that was more affordable and accessible to the public. The first iteration of the chair used 42mm x 42mm square and 25mm round pine dowels to create the frame. I then used black polyester strapping to create the seat bottom and seat back, securing with a staple gun. The result was a beautiful minimalist chair design, but with some time left before the submission deadline, I set about to create another version of the concept that used more sustainable / recycled materials.
The final iteration of the Genevieve Armchair uses recycled Australian hardwood and jute cloth strapping for the seat base and seat back. This design elevates the natural characteristics in the timber with a light oil finish. Jute strapping was chosen as it is a natural material that is more sustainable and unique than polyester. The result is a beautiful, simple and timeless DIY chair that can be kept and treasured.
