Flat Stack Fold

Seating design is an area that fascinates me. I am particularly interested in the public realm and how seating is designed for public spaces. An area that I have not fully investigated however is chair design, in particular solid timber dining chairs that have the ability to stack. One of the major reasons for my avoidance in this area of challenging design is that I simply assumed it couldn’t be achieved for a reasonable price within Australia. The Flat Stack Fold brief led me to think differently about the solid timber stacking chair proposition, it made me break down the components and analysis each aspect of the manufacturing process. Rather than assuming it couldn’t be done I became excited by the challenge and started to question why. The FSF brief set size restrictions, cost limitations and reduced volume targets that have ultimately proven to be excellent drivers for design development. Early market research indicated that there might be a gap in the timber stacking chair market. Conversations with Architects and Interior designers from some of Australia’s leading firms (whom generally specify these types of chairs in meaningful quantities), confirmed the void for desirable options, thus fuelling the design development of this project.