DESIGN NAME: Toast
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Tool Free Assembly Sofa
INSPIRATION: Sofas that are partially broken can no longer be used and are too costly to repair, so they have to be discarded. Furniture waste is large in size and extremely difficult and costly to handle with. A large amount of furniture waste causes serious resource waste and environmental pollution. Based on the concept of sustainable development, Toast Sofa aims to extend the service life of the product, reduce the cost of maintenance, and reduce the discarding and waste of furniture.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Toast Sofa adopt a design strategy that extends the service life of the product by replacing the broken parts with smaller modular units.It is designed to allow the user to assemble and disassemble the sofa more easily.This also enables tool-free assembly and smaller package size, perfectly blends modularity, practicality and eco-friendly concept, and meets the diverse needs of modern people.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: The Toast Sofa is designed for tool-free assembly. The base of the sofa consists of "I" and "L" shaped wooden blocks with grooves, allowing the user to install them by plugging. The backrest and seat cushion are individual modules that are inserted into the grooves on the base. By simply inserting the metal fittings into the base, each module can be easily connected to each other to form various combinations.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project started in September 2023 in Hangzhou and finished in December 2023 in Hangzhou.
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Furniture Design
|
PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: The solid wood base is spliced with mortise and tenon joint to ensure strength. The surface of it is treated with food-grade environmentally friendly wood wax oil to preserve the original texture of the wood, and to be in line with the concept of sustainable design. Metal fittings are CNC machined from stainless steel with polished surface while elastic knitted fabrics are available in a wide range of colors.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: 1920mm*1000mm*770mm
TAGS: Smaller modular, interchangeability, durability, practicality, economical, eco-friendly, interesting, tool-free assembly, Poka Yoke, comfortable
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: We have researched and analyzed the current situation of used furniture market, online trading platform and furniture recycling business in Hangzhou, China. Through over a thousand online questionnaires, field visits to users and interviews with relevant furniture enterprises, it is found that repairing and recycling old furniture is costly and the transportation is difficult. In this regard, we proposed our design focusing on the recycling of used furniture.
CHALLENGE: The biggest challenge encountered in the development of the project was the connection between the various modules and the tolerance design of the components. It was necessary to ensure the stability of the sofa as well as easy assembly and disassembly. Another challenge was to do with the company's sales strategy. which required a shift in thinking to sell not only the whole product but also the components, to facilitate the future maintenance of the product.
ADDED DATE: 2024-01-06 07:50:41
TEAM MEMBERS (1) : Designer: Hao Wu
IMAGE CREDITS: Tian Chen, 2023.
PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS: Patented. Patent No202323419532.2. Patent Holder: Tian Chen ,Hao Wu . 2023. China.
|