Through my research for Project 3, I was inspired by a number of neat examples of seating made from repurposed materials and had initially hoped to use found/recycled materials for my own stool. Here are two examples:
bathtub chair!
shopping cart chair!
Unfortunately, limitations on time / access to & ability to transport re-usable junk made this approach more of a challenge than I originally anticipated.
Instead, I chose to go ahead with another design approach, inspired by this display-case-like coffee table design that I found interesting.
I was interested to play around with the idea of display by placing an everyday object in a clear acrylic case. Rather than putting on display and protecting an object of value, my case contains a children's stool from IKEA, $12.99. The enclosed stool supports no weight, with the surrounding acrylic box acting instead as the actual seat. Given it's small size, the stool could feasibly act as both a chair and as a display piece if it were placed on a table or bookshelf.
I love IKEA
Shopping around at Canal Plastics, I found a bronze mirror that I thought might jazz up the cube by further complicating the reflections within the acrylic box. I considered a number of options for what I could place on the now visible underbelly of the stool, but ultimately decided to paint it a bright red color.
The stool!
I wasn't too keen on the original IKEA finish of the stool and decided to paint the stool a darker shade of brown/bronze. Doing so brought up the idea of using the paint to make the stool look aged. Though I initially meant for the stool to comically elevate a simple piece of mass manufactured furniture by placing it on display, I'm also drawn to the idea of combining traditional and modern aesthetics by placing an antique stool in a modern acrylic cube. If I were to actually pursue this concept, future iterations of the design could potentially encase real antique stools.
It works!
I'm so happy with how it came out and thrilled that it supports weight!
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