Best of Category: Tip Ton Chair: Forward Thinking
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You probably lean forward over your desk 50 times a day, and if you’re lucky, your fancy office chair tilts with you. But most school kids are stuck in stationery chairs. No swiveling, spinning or leaning. “People fidget when they get bored,” says Jay Osgerby, partner at Barber Osgerby. “As human beings we need to move to be able to really think. One of the reasons that children, especially, fidget like crazy in the classroom and push back on their chairs is because their brains are going to sleep because they’re not moving.”
So how do you provide motion in a chair that’s sturdy and inexpensive enough for schools? Enter the Tip Ton chair. After 100 or so prototypes, Barber Ogersby hit upon the simple rocking motion provided by the base of this molded plastic chair. You can sit upright or rock forward into a second–but equally secure–position that offers a bit of motion and lets you get up close and personal with that math homework.
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You probably lean forward over your desk 50 times a day, and if you’re lucky, your fancy office chair tilts with you. But most school kids are stuck in stationery chairs. No swiveling, spinning or leaning. “People fidget when they get bored,” says Jay Osgerby, partner at Barber Osgerby. “As human beings we need to move to be able to really think. One of the reasons that children, especially, fidget like crazy in the classroom and push back on their chairs is because their brains are going to sleep because they’re not moving.”
So how do you provide motion in a chair that’s sturdy and inexpensive enough for schools? Enter the Tip Ton chair. After 100 or so prototypes, Barber Ogersby hit upon the simple rocking motion provided by the base of this molded plastic chair. You can sit upright or rock forward into a second–but equally secure–position that offers a bit of motion and lets you get up close and personal with that math homework.
Credits
Firm: Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby
Directors: Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby
Manufacturer: Vitra
Research: Barber Osgerby, commissioned by the RSA
Judges Comments
It’s one of those ideas that is so simple yet so right. It really feels like somebody thought about how people sit and what they do, because that movement is something that we all do when we’re sitting in a chair, even though most chairs are not at all designed for that. We’d tip over. To me, it was such a nice feeling to see somebody kind of saw that and actually turned that into the basis for an idea.– Judge Ayse Birsel, Co-Principal, Birsel + Seck
The whole project was about clarity. Clarity of an idea and clarity of the execution. The chair needed nothing more, but you also couldn’t take anything away from it. It just sort of landed in the right spot with a beautiful silhouette.– Judge John Christakos, CEO and Founder, Blu Dot
Design Distinction: Herman Miller SAYL Chair
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The design of the Herman Miller SAYL chair considers ergonomics, material savings, quality, aesthetics and comfort. SAYL makes an iconic statement while providing known quality at an affordable price point for all.
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The design of the Herman Miller SAYL chair considers ergonomics, material savings, quality, aesthetics and comfort. SAYL makes an iconic statement while providing known quality at an affordable price point for all.
Credits
Firm: fuseproject
Founder/chief designer: Yves Behar
Additional team members: Bret Recor, Qin Li, Naoya Edahiro, Matt Swinton, Noah Murphy-Reinhertz
Client: Herman Miller
Judges Comments
What I really like about it is maximum performance with minimum material. When you mold that back it’s the size of a handkerchief and then you stretch it, and it becomes this performance back support. Judge Ayse Birsel, Co-Principal, Birsel + Seck
The goal was not to make another $1,500 desk chair or $1,200 desk chair but an affordable desk chair. I think forcing themselves into that program resulted in a strong design. Strength comes out of subtraction rather than addition. I think this chair is sort of a testament to that. Judge John Christakos, CEO and Founder, Blu Dot
Honorable Mention: Ink Collection
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Ink, a new wall covering from Knoll Textiles, uses liquid movement to form a series of highly graphic patterns. Starting with a single drop of ink, three patterns were created, Drip, Drop and Run.
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Ink, a new wall covering from Knoll Textiles, uses liquid movement to form a series of highly graphic patterns. Starting with a single drop of ink, three patterns were created, Drip, Drop and Run.
Credits
Firm: Knoll Textiles
Designer: Abbott Miller, Pentagram
Creative Director: Dorothy Cosonas, Knoll Textiles
Honorable Mention: NIKE Ignite Bench and Chandelier
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Custom bench designed for NIKE Ignite incorporating tees. Custom chandelier made from NIKE Free shoes.
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Custom bench designed for NIKE Ignite incorporating tees. Custom chandelier made from NIKE Free shoes.
Credits
Firm: LIT Workshop
Project manager: Christine Alex
3D designers: Kyle Kendrick, Peter Morain, John Pendleton
Senior account manager: Kirstin Kendall
Creative director: Damon Johnstun
Photographer: Charles Chestnut
Creative manager: Liza Walsh
Client: NIKE
Honorable Mention: 47 Table
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The 47 Table is equal parts end table and material experiment, a striking piece that juxtaposes a natural material and a bespoke industrial process. Named for its use of the forty-seventh element on the periodic table, a silver surface envelops a solid piece of reclaimed Douglas fir using a proprietary low-VOC process.
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The 47 Table is equal parts end table and material experiment, a striking piece that juxtaposes a natural material and a bespoke industrial process. Named for its use of the forty-seventh element on the periodic table, a silver surface envelops a solid piece of reclaimed Douglas fir using a proprietary low-VOC process.
Credits
Firm: One & Co
