Bronze Furniture Design · 2021
Ori Accent Chair
- A' Design Award 2021 Bronze Winner in Furniture Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: Manish Maheshwari
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 17,940
- Verification code 3882C47756 · Verify this award
About Ori Accent Chair
Ori is an accent chair inspired by the art of origami and by the form of a ruffled palm leaf. The design translates paper folding into metal folding. Thin galvanised metal gives the chair strength and a light, paper-like appearance and suits outdoor use. Wood is applied only at the seat and the backrest to improve seating comfort. Bolts and magnets join the folded parts into one piece with a clean finish. The chair folds down for compact packing and delivery. The colours are drawn from the sunflower. Unfolded dimensions are 880 mm high and 950 mm in diameter.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, is an ancient art form that converts paper into 3d objects. Based on this principle, the Ori chair derives its concept. The design translates paper folding into metal folding and, ultimately, a unique piece of furniture.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Folding metal comes with its own set of challenges to achieve ergonomically comfortable seating. The idea behind the chair using the origami technique was to ease the packaging and delivery. The Ori Chair can be easily folded up and packed into a small box, considerably reducing the volume of the package. It uses simple mechanisms to attach into one piece giving it a crisp and clean finish. 880mm(h) x 950mm(dia.) are the unfolded chair's dimensions.
- Tags
- Origami, foldable, ergonomics, metal, minimal, nature-inspired
- Production Technology
- The sturdy but thin metal used in the chair is galvanised to take on the harsh outdoors while visually being light as paper. Metal being a cradle-to-cradle material propagates sustainable development. Wood is used as moderating material to provide the comfort of seating instead of the harshness of the metal. Its use is restricted only to crucial parts, including the seating and backrest of the chair.
- Design Challenge
- The Ori chair challenged our 7 years of experience working with metal since combining metal with origami techniques in itself is a challenge. Working on relieving pressure at the ridges by bringing in the right slit dimension and connecting the bridge between two slits to avoid sheer in metal proved strenuous. Break-through was about getting it right for an individual to bend manually by hands. It became essential to hit the sweet spot for the number of folds to get perfect ergonomics which finally came through trials and errors.
- Project Duration
- The project research started in 2020 and was finished in 3 months
- Operation Flow
- The Ori chair uses a mechanism based on the principle of origami. It uses simple tools like bolts and magnets to assemble itself into a useable piece of furniture.
- Research
- The structure of a ruffled palm leaf is uniquely formed in nature. The broad circular leaf spanning up to 5ft in diameter originates from one thin branch. This plant leaf inspires the shape and form of the Ori chair. Origami technique became the yin yang fit for translating the ruffled palm leaf form into an ergonomically designed furniture piece. The chairs' colours are derived from the sunflower, making it a stark piece of art as well.
- Inspiration
- The Ori chair is a translation of the art of Origami into metal folding and, ultimately, a unique piece of furniture. It uses the colour combinations of a Sunflower. Bright yellow expresses a bold presence of the chair as an art piece. The trend of earthen finishes and materials are primarily used in architecture, interior, and landscape design. The colours blended with minimal design flares draw attention while complementing confined interiors or outdoor space.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer: Dhiram Patel
Image #2,#3,#4,#5: Photographer: Manish Maheshwari , Editing: Roshni shah
Illustrator: Roshni Shah
Video Credits: Dhiram Patel
Colors of Ori Accent Chair
Design Interview about Ori Accent Chair
The structure of a ruffled palm leaf is uniquely formed in nature. The broad circular leaf spanning up to 5ft in diameter originates from one thin branch. This plant leaf inspires the shape and form of the Ori chair. Origami technique became the yin yang fit for translating the ruffled palm leaf form into an ergonomically designed furniture piece. The chairs' colours are derived from the sunflower, making it a stark piece of art as well.
The research and conceptulisation for this design started during the lock down due to pandemic in 2020 and was finished in 3 months.
No, the design is not being produced or used by another company. we are producing the chair ourselves. but we are open to sell or lease the production rights to interested company or a studio.
Ori as the name suggest to the word Origami, the art to folding paper into 3d forms which is also the inspiration and method applied in designing this chair.
The precision cutting of slits required to hand fold the metal sheet easily and to achieve such forms the laser cutting technology is being used.
The Ori chair challenged our 7 years of experience working with metal since combining metal with origami techniques in itself is a challenge. Working on relieving pressure at the ridges by bringing in the right slit dimension and connecting the bridge between two slits to avoid sheer in metal proved strenuous. Break-through was about getting it right for an individual to bend manually by hands. It became essential to hit the sweet spot for the number of folds to get perfect ergonomics which finally came through trials and errors.
Grand Interview about Ori Accent Chair
Metal as a material was familiar to me from childhood, as my father owned a metal foundry. I began designing and developing products from scrap metal brought to the foundry for melting, turning them into corporate souvenirs. The quality of my work led to more opportunities in various fields such as architecture (facades, foyers, canopies), art (sculptures), and interior design (furniture and decor products). I have always enjoyed tackling the challenges metalwork presents.In 2012, a question came to mind: how could a metal sheet be hand-folded? This thought naturally led me to explore origami. We procured brass and copper sheets and folded them to create small products and jewelry. Over time, we progressed to tabletop items, then to chairs, lights, and other furniture.The Ori Chair was my second chair design. Using the hand-folding technique from the first chair gave me a breakthrough, enabling me to hand-fold larger objects like chairs. While designing the Ori Chair, I aimed for more romanticism by creating something complex yet visually simple, aesthetically pleasing, and comfortable while staying loyal to the material we chose.
When the first prototype of the Ori Chair was created, it featured a raw metal finish. We wanted to introduce a bold color to enhance its visual appeal. The chair's circular form reminded us of a flower, which led us to seek inspiration from nature. The vibrant hue of sunflower petals stood out as an ideal choice—it is fresh, warm, and bold, perfectly complementing the design and adding a lively, harmonious touch to the piece.
The biggest challenge in this process was achieving the success of hand-folding the metal itself. If the metal could be folded by hand, it also meant it could potentially deform under external pressure. We worked on many factors, including the slit length, width, direction, and metal thickness. The slit size and direction were meticulously planned to facilitate ease of folding while ensuring rigidity once the form was complete.
Most of our designs, whether lighting or furniture, are inspired by nature. When drawing inspiration from natural forms, we observe not only their aesthetics but also other factors like stability, color, joinery- junctions, and weight, selecting what is most relevant to our design goals. In our studio garden, we have a ruffled fan palm, and its large, span-like leaves are structurally designed to withstand strong winds and rain, giving them impressive weight-bearing capacity. While we could have used a thicker gauge sheet bent into a conical form, the ruffled fan palm inspired us to choose a thinner sheet construction for the chair, which still provided the required strength and durability.
Initially, the use of wood was not intended for comfort, as the Ori Accent Chair is already quite comfortable without it. The wood was added primarily for aesthetic purposes, to balance the coldness of the metal with the warmth of the wood. While it serves as an embellishment, it also enhances both comfort and visual appeal. We use reclaimed teak wood sourced from Vadodara, India, where our studio is located. The region has a rich history of brick masonry and wood construction, with many buildings over a century old. When these structures are redeveloped, we acquire the wood for reuse in our designs. Additionally, metal is an inherently sustainable material, as it can be melted and reused countless times. Both reclaimed wood and metal contribute to the sustainable design of the Ori Accent Chair, with the metal's durability ensuring a long-lasting product.
Throughout the development process of the Ori Accent Chair, our focus was centered on three key aspects: 1) achieving the hand-folding capability of metal with the right slit pattern, 2) staying true to the primary material (metal) for construction, and 3) significantly reducing packaging size for more efficient transportation, which involved extensive experimentation on the shop floor. We gathered valuable data on slit design and direction patterns to ensure flexibility in hand folding various metals. Our design team is now nearing the final stages, with new lighting and furniture designs in flat-pack models that can also be hand-folded by the user.
It is always satisfying to be on the receiving end of an award, The A' Design Award recognition gave me the confidence to dive deeper into meaningful and innovative design. Such acknowledgment reinforces the importance of pushing boundaries and exploring new possibilities in furniture design.
Choosing the right hardware for the Ori Accent Chair was easy once we understood the materials we were working with. Since we used mild steel for the base, magnets were a great choice to hold the wood in place. This solution made the chair easy to assemble while keeping the design looking clean and simple. We focused on combining smart engineering with good looks to ensure the chair would be durable and endure the market for generations.
As a child, I often opened up broken toys in an attempt to repair them. Although I don’t recall succeeding, the process helped me develop a strong sense of observation. I also enjoyed sketching, painting, and hands-on tinkering with small household objects, which I considered hobbies at the time.I later pursued a bachelor’s degree in engineering, but during my studies, I realized my hobbies were my true calling. I am grateful to have had this realization early in life. My engineering background nurtured my technical thought process, which undoubtedly influenced the development of the Ori Accent Chair's innovative folding mechanism.
To me, the origami technique is akin to inventing an alphabet, where numerous words, vocabulary, and narratives become possible. With metals and other industrial materials, there is immense potential for sustainable furniture design when guided by thoughtful design thinking.The design principles of the Ori Accent Chair are especially relevant to metals like aluminum, brass, and copper, offering a promising path for future innovations in sustainable furniture.