Chair Design – From Concept to Full-Scale Prototype

Project Overview:

For this project, I explored chair design through sketching, material experimentation, and physical prototyping. Starting with cork as the primary material, I developed a range of chair concepts before turning selected ideas into small-scale models and ultimately building a full-scale functional chair using only cardboard, paper, and hot glue.

Ideation:

  • Sketched 24 different chair concepts, experimenting with form, proportions, backrests, legs, and different ways of incorporating cork into the design.

  • Used the sketches to quickly explore a wide variety of ideas before selecting my favorite concepts to physically prototype.

Mini Prototypes:

  • Built five small-scale chair models to translate my sketches into physical forms and better understand their proportions and structure.

  • Experimented with cork, wire, metal mesh, and clay, using each material for different structural and aesthetic elements.

  • Compared the models to determine which design features translated best from a 2D sketch into a physical object.

Full-Scale Chair:

  • Took the project from small-scale experimentation to a full-size chair capable of supporting a person.

  • Constructed the chair using only cardboard, paper, and hot glue, requiring the structure itself to provide enough strength and stability without traditional furniture materials.

  • Used layering, folding, and reinforcement to turn simple materials into a functional structure while maintaining the intended chair form.

Skills Demonstrated:

  • Concept Sketching – Rapidly explored different forms and ideas

  • Rapid Prototyping – Translated sketches into physical scale models

  • Material Exploration – Worked with cork, wire, mesh, clay, cardboard, and paper

  • Hands-On Fabrication – Built and assembled models by hand