Kami
Self Directed - No-Profile Furniture
Client
The Kami project was built off the back of a 12 month research project into the issues facing resident's of compact living environments.
Extensive feedback from industry figures identified the potential to expand the target market from residents of compact spaces to also include the furniture specifiers and interior architects responsible for them.
Background
Kami started as a blank slate with the only given instructions: find a topic worth researching, identify the issues within that research area and develop a solution, start to finish. At the end, the solution was to be turn-key market ready.
This project was my final year capstone project and took place over a full academic year.
Overview
Kami is a completely flat-folding stool/side table that can be assembled by lifting from a single central point. Heavy inspired by and designed through origami, the piece folds along it's fabric 'crease-lines', run between rigid internal PET panels. Through carefully planned fold-geometry, the piece is fully self-supporting and self-locking.
The materials used in Kami are exclusively variations PET and thus, the piece is fully recycleable without any need for disassembly.
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During first stage of Kami's design process, hand-sketching and user interaction studies we're the primary source of idea generation.
From this phase, the initial idea of a completely flat folding piece of furniture was identified. Inspired by the idea of 'storage-in-plain-sight' Kami was born from the idea of 'rug-become-chair', with the focus on eliminating the need for additional stowage space when not in use.
Once conceived, the idea of a flat-folding furniture piece was interated upon heavily. This iteration was based entirely in physical paper folding, with the goal of finding a crease pattern that could be scaled up into a desireable furniture piece.
The first main concept that was reached was a multi-symmetrical folding stool. Though it carried with it many flaws (mainly a lack of stability and ability to stay assembled), this concept version formed the basis of Kami's mechanical development and was crucial in refining exactly how the the piece would be manufactured while retaining the ability to fold.
Kami's final form was born from an off-centre twisted version of the previous phase's crease pattern.
The amount of twist in this pattern informs the pieces level of self-locking pliability. Furthermore, this twist encourages Kami to lock further when under load; increasing its structural stability.
This final prototype is made from layers of Polyester felt bonded to, and sewn around, internal PET panels. It includes an injection-moulded PET hanging-eyelet and polyester faux-suede branding details. Through it's exclusive use of PET materials, Kami remains entirely recycleable.
