Close-up of a modern blue upholstered chair with a curved wooden backrest against a plain gray background.

VESSEL

Design and build a statement furniture piece to be made in a commercial workshop with sustainable materials.

2025

Product Design

A wooden chair with black fabric cushions in a living room near a sliding glass door. Behind the chair is a large potted cactus plant, and a tall floor lamp provides lighting. A colorful area rug with red, green, and beige patterns covers the floor.
Close-up of a wooden bed frame with a padding on top of it, and a gray blanket on another bed or furniture nearby.
A modern chair with a wooden base and blue fabric cushions, featuring an abstract, curved design.
A top-view of an arranged set of chairs with blue cushions and two brown cushions, placed on a wooden lattice structure with a small wooden lattice decor piece on top.
A top-down view of a modern wooden chair arrangement with blue and brown upholstered seats.
Array of blue chairs arranged on a wooden lattice, interspersed with a few brown cushioned seats on a white background.
A collection of modern chairs with wooden frames and blue upholstered cushions, arranged in a layered overlapping pattern. One chair has a brown cushion with a small wooden footrest placed on it.
A modern artistic chair made of wood with dark blue fabric cushions, designed with curved shapes and a unique layered wooden base.
A collection of modern chairs with bright blue fabric seats and backs, resting on a wooden framework, some chairs are flipped upside down showing the wooden structure.
A modern coffee table with a wooden lattice base topped with various blue and brown cushioned chair seats and small wooden stools.
Close-up of stacked blue chairs with wooden legs against a plain gray background.
Close-up of blue upholstered chairs with wooden armrests against a light gray background.
Close-up of modern blue upholstered chairs with wooden bases stacked on each other against a light gray background.
Close-up of a modern wooden chair with curved design, having multiple vertical wooden slats, and a dark fabric cushion on top, set against a plain gray background.
A modern wooden lounge chair with navy blue cushions and a small side table with a decorative wooden fish sculpture.
Three blue chairs and one beige ottoman stacked on a wooden lattice platform against a plain wall.
A person holding a partially eaten green apple, sitting next to a round wooden table with a wicker basket and some books.
A comfortable chair with blue cushions and a matching footrest, situated on a patterned rug near a potted cactus plant and a red side table.
A blue cushioned chair with wooden armrests and a matching footstool, placed on a patterned area rug near a window, with potted plants nearby.
Set of cushioned chairs with wooden frames, one with a black cushion, others with gray and brown cushions, on a patterned rug.
Three wooden chairs with cushioned seats and a folded brown sweater on one of the cushions
Three chairs with black cushions and one stool with a brown cushion, with a small wooden woven furniture piece on the stool.
Close-up of two blue upholstered chairs with a wooden frame, positioned next to each other on a patterned red and green rug. Part of a brown circular stool with a woven piece resting on top is visible to the left.
A rocking chair with blue cushions next to a small wooden side table with a woven basket on it. In the background, there is a red side table with a vase holding dried flowers and a book. A large potted plant is also visible. The area is decorated wit
Close-up of multiple chairs with blue seats and wooden legs stacked together.

Ideation

The chair shouldn’t be something that impedes or competes with the user’s experience, instead, compliment and enable it.

Collage of six interior living room spaces, each featuring different modern furniture and decor styles, including sofas, chairs, tables, and decorative elements like plants and artwork.

My contextual moodboard

The ‘Dune Ensemble’ by Pierre Paulin

My inspiration for the project came from Pierre Paulin’s ‘Dune Ensemble’. A sofa from 1970. The modular couch is comprised of typically four pieces repeated in a 12–20-piece configuration, where each piece is made to seamlessly fit with one another. The sculptural form and modular configuration of the sofa give it an infinite number of uses, and no one sofa must be the same, nor the users experience with it.

What I love about this sofa is its experience. It gives the user the freedom to create their own experience and adapt to their life. The sofa is a lounging experience that doesn’t define how it must be sat or laid upon.

Modelling & Production

Form and tolerances dictated the greatest changes throughout the process.

A hand holding a large, white, textured seashell with a smooth interior, against a dark, rough-textured background.
Sketch of various furniture pieces, including an abstract-shaped sofa or chair, with a focus on form and structure, labeled with side views and a symmetrical diagram.
Multiple wooden compartments arranged in a curved, wave-like pattern.
Outline drawing of various shoe lasts used for shoe manufacturing.
A white, puffy, cushioned lounge chair or bean bag chair on a black carpeted floor in a room with furniture and decor.
A 3D model of an architectural or structural design with multiple curved, semi-transparent panels, some with red and beige borders, arranged in a layered, wave-like pattern.
A digital rendering of a maze with blue lines and complex pathways.
A modern metallic accent chair with a sleek, minimalist design and smooth, curved surfaces.
A piece of modern furniture with layered wooden arches and three large, irregularly shaped cushions in navy blue and one in burgundy.

I made a 1:10 scale model out of air-dry clay. The process was brilliant in forming my understanding of the balance of the dimensions of the chair. I enjoyed being able to so easily manipulate the form, it made iterating very quick because changes could be made in seconds. 

Continuing the prototyping process, I turned to a 1:1 scale model. Due to the organic form of the concept, creating a quick, adaptable prototype was challenging to create out of traditional materials like cardboard.

Therefore, I repurposed my bed’s duvet cover and added support under the required spots to determine the most comfortable dimensions of the form. 

I was informed of a discontinued fusion software called Slicer. Because the software is discontinued, the nesting feature is ineffective, however, I was able to edit this from 4 sheets to 2 sheets in Adobe Illustrator, bringing the cost down to $300 in plywood. 

Construction

Final Product

A wooden chair with cushions covered in dark fabric, situated on a decorative area rug near a window with a sliding door. A tall cactus in a pot is visible in the background.
Four wooden stools with fabric cushions in gray, orange, and dark blue, arranged on a patterned red and green rug.
Young girl sitting on a black armchair with her legs up, reading a book in a cozy living room with plants, a red white-patterned lamp, and a large window.
A person holding a partially eaten green apple, sitting next to a small brown table with a woven basket and a book on top. The person is wearing a denim jacket with patches, and the photo is taken from above, showing part of their face and thigh.

Branding Application