Polymorph Chair Design Process

The idea of the Polymorph Chair is to unify contrary design concepts in a single shape.

In the ancient greek language “poly” means “many” and “morphé” stands for “shape”. The term “Polymorph” in this context refers to a design that is composed out of multiple concepts differing in their design vocabulary but yet fusing together into a unified single shape of a chair.

The concept for the design is based on research in design history, when reviewing the different languages of form over time, there are two basic ideas recognizable: Minimalist, linear and functional shapes on one hand, and organic and spherical forms inspired by nature on the other hand. These concepts seem to be competing with and alternating to each other. The current trend of minimalism for example can already be observed in the early 1920’s in the “De Stijl” movement. The trend of organic design which was popular again in the early 21st century had already been prominent in the 1940´s and 1970´s. These observations lead to the question if there can still be anything new or innovative in terms of the design vocabulary. The design of the chair aims to visualize these reflections into an experimental and sculptural object.

The design process started with a sketch of the initial idea. After that, a first and very faint computer model was created and the geometry was approximated in section layers. These layers were cut out by CNC-machining and stack laminated. The final shape of the chair was created during the creation process and it is fully hand curved without the use of any computer aided assistance. As material, cherrywood was selected, it is finished with oil and polished to a final semi-gloss surface.