tehila guy inflates anda armchair of translucent and wooden parts

tehila guy inflates anda armchair of translucent and wooden parts
all images courtesy of tehila guy

for her final project at bezalel academy of art and design in jerusalem, tehila guy has created ‘anda’ under the mentoring of professor hanan de lange. after observing the world of flat-pack furniture, guy came to understand and was fascinated by the repetitive pattern in terms of material used, assembly methods, and aesthetics. ‘I wanted to design a piece of furniture that is out of the norm in a field that can seem fairly saturated. an armchair was a challenging choice due to the fact it’s barely flat-packed,’ she said.

as a part of the process, it was crucial to change the ingredients and technology that upholstery is commonly made from in order to decrease the amount of space occupied in packaging, while at the same time keeping it comfortable and sizable. this led to in-depth research and analysis in regards to inflatable structures, which are considered to be cheap relics from the 1960s with limited capabilities.

front view

striving to make sure that the piece could work in the context of an existing living room set, the clear body is supported by a wooden base. this purposeful selection gives the work strength while making it easy to transport, assemble, and maintain at a fair price.

rear view

according to guy, ‘the main challenge in this project was finding the right relations between the inflatable body and the wooden construction.’ one of the most important decisions was making the seat transparent, revealing the timber completely. this system makes the qualities of each element essential to the furnishing’s feasibility. the air-filled frame and back presses on the rods and connects all the components together, while, in turn, the foundation keeps the bubble-like cushion from collapsing.

a crucial decision was making the inflatable part transparent, revealing the wooden part completely

even though ‘anda’ is an armchair, it almost dissolves into the room

the qualities of the inflatable body and the wood are essential to the feasibility of the armchair

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.