Relief Chair

Relief Chair, Limited Edition

Included in the “Fashioning Felt” Exhibition and Permanent Collection of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in New York.

The Relief Chair is the first prototype in the “Solid Surface Series” furniture line.  The body of the chair is a layered assembly of 1/2" thick sheets of medium density wool felt, adhered to each other and sleeved over an internal steel frame.  The felt body and frame rest on break-formed stainless steel legs.  The chair design began with the idea of sculpting a piece of furniture from a solid and rapidly renewable material, eliminating upholstery and unsightly, environmentally unfriendly foam products, included in many furniture pieces.  The waterjet-cut contours of each piece of felt are utilized to define the overall form.  The cascading edges also manifest an integral pattern with both a visual and tactile effect. 

The waterjet-cut scraps of felt, generated during fabrication, are used as fill within a the Refill Pillow, a translucent throw pillow.