Rabbit 26 Jan 06

Hehe… Some of those chairs look like they could have been in Beetle Juice. :)

None look very comfortable though. =/

Sebastian Gr��l 26 Jan 06

I think the first would be very comfortable with some pillows on it…

p. arora 26 Jan 06

I don’t think any of the chairs would be comfortable to sit. But the creativity is amazing with the limited options the artists had. I would love to have one of these as an Art piece in my home.

SH 26 Jan 06

Fyi, those aren’t the “winner”, this one is.

sb 26 Jan 06

wow. that looks really freakin’ uncomfortable. but it reminds me of easter island, so i won’t destroy it. (but that chair had better watch it’s step…)

Anonymous Coward 26 Jan 06

You guys talking about comfort are kidding, right? THESE ARE MADE FROM BOTTLE CORKS AND WIRE! Your thumb could barely sit in them!

Carl 26 Jan 06

The whole point in chairs is comfort, not creativity. Who cares if a chair looks creative if it hurts your a$$ when you sit in it.

I’d prefer FUNCTIONALITY and COMFORT in furniture… hold the creativity please.

Carl 26 Jan 06

Just a follow up… just realized these aren’t real chairs. As the previous poster pointed out they are made from bottle corks and wire.

Then I must ask… wtf is the point?

sb 26 Jan 06

i was talking about being comfortable for my thumb, of course. if i’m buying a couple of thumb-chairs, i’m getting a la-z-boy. you can mock the design, but you can’t beat the recline. thumbs up, toes down! straight? aight.

Jason Beaird 26 Jan 06

You guys talking about comfort are kidding, right? THESE ARE MADE FROM BOTTLE CORKS AND WIRE! Your thumb could barely sit in them!

I didn’t realize that either. I did notice that the 2nd picture looked like a champaign top though…

Kendall 26 Jan 06

wtf is the point? the point of this post and of that competition is to demonstrate the ability to design things with constraints. And that you can design and devlop beautiful, functional things from very simple and basic materials. This can be extended to designing almost anything. I think that the chairs are beautiful. and ingenious.

Dan Boland 26 Jan 06

Then I must ask� wtf is the point?

What’s the point of doing anything then?

James 26 Jan 06

Just because a chair doesn’t LOOK comfortable within your narrow concept of what comfort looks like (ie - if it doesn’t look like a marshmallow puff la-z-boy, it’s not going to be comfortable) doesn’t mean the chair isn’t comfortable. Sit your ass in it before making snap judgments. Open your mind a bit - it’ll do you some good.

And to state that the sole function of a chair is strictly to maximize comfort is simply wrong. In many cases - for instance, public seating in parks and museums - the function of the piece is to provide a resting spot that’s NOT OVERLY COMFORTABLE - so that people will sit and rest for a few moments, and then MOVE ON, freeing the seating for others to use. Maximum comfort is not always desirable or required functionality for seating.

Ischa 26 Jan 06

I have seen that kind of chair earlier but then made from wood. That chair I have seen is a original Costa Rican chair I think.

Tod1d 26 Jan 06

These remind me of the chairs that the Chipolte restaurant chain uses. I have yet to meet anyone who finds them to be comfortable. If it aint a bean-bag chair, then simple probably does not mean comfortable.

Jorge Alvarez 26 Jan 06

If there is room for innovation in the field of Chair’s design… at which state is Web’s design?

Darrel 26 Jan 06

Fun, but yea, seems to be more focused on decoration than design.

That said, the point about constraints is a good one. They are an absolute necessity for a successful project.

Just because a chair doesn�t LOOK comfortable within your narrow concept of what comfort looks like (ie - if it doesn�t look like a marshmallow puff la-z-boy, it�s not going to be comfortable) doesn�t mean the chair isn�t comfortable.

I’m a huge fan of mid-century modern and modern furniture design. That said, with the exception of work from the Eames and Ikea, I must say that is fairly true…most furniture out there is uncomfortable as hell, and the poofy, ugly, ghastly, tacky, obnoxious sofas, well, they ARE really comfy.

Darrel 26 Jan 06

As for comfort, I’d have to vote for this one:

http://www.dwr.com/images/promos/champagne05/Honorable-Mentions_19.gif

Josh 26 Jan 06

> wtf is the point?

Design is (in part) an exercise in seeing what’s not there. In making the invisible visible. In effing the ineffable.

This contest is an example of that process in miniature.

Do I need to draw the parallel between seeing the chair in a champagne cork and seeing the software where none yet exists?

indi 26 Jan 06

I can’t believe someone would seriously question the point of such an exercise. I looks like fun! Life is the road, not the destination.

Lance C 26 Jan 06

I like the big executive chairs;). Except when they’re stiff and upright.

Joseph 26 Jan 06

This thread is pretty funny, given the recent discussion here about snap-judgments (1/20th of a second) of Web sites. Several readers looked to text as the answer, but note that neither the DWR site nor this site clearly describes the contest. It’s not a “Champagne Chair design contest;” it’s a “Champagne Chair model design contest.” Maybe this explains part of the confusion.

James 26 Jan 06

“I�m a huge fan of mid-century modern and modern furniture design. That said, with the exception of work from the Eames and Ikea, I must say that is fairly true�most furniture out there is uncomfortable as hell, and the poofy, ugly, ghastly, tacky, obnoxious sofas, well, they ARE really comfy.”

And that highlight the second stage of the argument - that comfort itself is highly relative. What’s uncomfortable to you may be perfectly acceptable to me. Body type, posture, physical fitness, personal preferences, etc. all play an integral role in determining the personal comfort level for any piece of furniture. Dismissing something as uncomfortable simply because it looks a particular way is absurd. Saying that aesthetics don’t play a role in the function of a chair is short-sighted.

Not to mention that comfort has both physical and mental dimensions. I can tell you that no matter how comfortable a la-z-boy may be, I wouldn’t purchase one for my home because it would be mentally and visually displeasing. Not that they aren’t right for a great number of people, just not for me personally.

engelgrafik 27 Jan 06

As much as I love DWR (love all the design from the catalogs to the products), I think it’s funny that they call themselves Design Within Reach. It’s not in reach. I make a good living, above national average salary, and I cannot afford this stuff.

It is NOT “within reach”.

IKEA is design within reach. :)

J. Gohlke 30 Jan 06

Exactly, Joseph… the page on Design Within Reach’s site is screaming out for a simple link that says “Contest Rules,” maybe right underneath the picture of the winner.

Duncan 13 Feb 06

I love Design Within Reach. One of the coolest companies out there. Keep your eyes peeled for their sales once or twice a year.
Their newsletters are awesome, only “junk mail” that I actually save & re-read several times & fwd. to friends & family.
No one comes close to them, & no I’m not getting paid to say this nor do I work for them:)