Project Overview

‘Jive’ is a contemporary collection of soft seating, comprising of a single arm chair and two seat sofa. The range is suitable for both commercial and residential applications.
The range features FSC plywood carcass and is upholstered in Instyle EthEco wool.
The ‘Jive’ collection would make a striking statement in many environments from hotel lobbies, commercial spaces to modern residential dwellings.

Organisation

Tane Design

Team

Gary Pennington - Project Manager
Holly Pennington - Financial & Moral support

Project Brief

Design a contemporary range of soft seating for use in both commercial and residential interiors. The products should use locally sourced sustainable materials and be ready to exhibit at the Milan Furniture Fair 2013.

Project Need

The ‘Jive’ range of seating appeals to a broad market; both commercial and residential interiors would suit this contemporary offering. A modern distinct design with ‘floating’ back, and the use of sustainable materials offer a unique positioning in the Australian market place.
The ongoing product development will explore ways in which to extend the products life and also ‘after-life’ considerations.

Design Challenge

Timing was the main challenge; the ‘Jive’ arm chair was chosen as one of four designs to be exhibited on the Tane Design stand at the 2013 Milan Furniture Fair. Entry to the show was gained through a selection process.

Images of the first prototypes were submitted by late August 2012 and I was notified my application had been successful at the end of December 2012. This gave me three months to develop the ‘Jive’ prototype along with three other designs to a high enough standard to be exhibited at the world’s largest furniture show.

Sustainability

The goal with all the designs I develop is to have sustainability at the forefront of the process:

All the materials used in the ‘Jive’ range are sourced from within Australia. The prototype has an internal structural timber frame produced from FSC Australian timber. The fabric is EthEco Wool by Instyle, sourced from sheep raised on holistically-managed farms which; improves animal welfare, human health and environmental conditions.

The ongoing development of the design will explore the use of zips, in order to easily recover the seat, back or entire chair which will prolong the products lifespan. I will also explore the ‘after-life’ of the product and ease in which the products can be broken down and separated into similar materials. This will involve a new method of attaching foam to the timber frame.