Metanoia: Furniture for Compact Living

by Cherise Misquitta

Abstract

This research coalesces to promote the creation of a new epoch of furniture products, focusing on the culmination of emerging technologies with traditional manufacturing processes to facilitate positive experiences in compact living spaces. To improve quality of life, careful consideration of current situations and experiences is vital when designing for today’s specific circumstances. The study investigates our transition to smaller living spaces and its repercussions on the furniture industry. Over the years, our requirements for physical space have been condensed to create a closer relationship with one’s community and more comfortable access to entertainment, public transport and employment. As such, this epoch of new living requirements demands a transition in the designs and functions of the furniture produced to inhabit such spaces. This change has especially affected the context of furniture and the characteristics that we prioritise, with mass-produced fast furniture becoming the primary response to these transitions. The paper touches on the furniture industry’s transition from traditional hand-crafting to the introduction of digitised manufacturing processes and the accompanying socio-cultural implications. There is an opportunity for intervention by combining emerging manufacturing technologies, specifically 3D printing, and traditional production methods to produce furniture applications more suited to the current living landscape. In considering the impacts of our current lifestyles and experiences, the research undertaken in this paper exploits the advantages of emerging technologies and traditional processes to meet humans’ evolved cultural and societal needs while providing positive experiences in limited space.

Design Intent

Continued advances in sustainable technologies and new understandings of environmental impacts maintain a predominant influence on our evolution. Craftswork as a skilled practice is often considered an opposing method to new technological advances. These advances have been regarded as a force of labour displacement for craftspeople over the years, resulting in profound socio-cultural implications.

The concept of repair and restoration has diminished in importance over the years due to the user's lack of tools, space and skill. Fast furniture and planned obsolescence have become the primary response to these transitions. Usually consisting of low-quality materials, fast furniture restricts any potential for reuse and biases a short product life by ensuring replacement sales with little to no refurbishment infrastructures. Metanoia encourages restoration and recycling through non-permanent fixtures. This lack of part permanency allows for the easy replacement of specific parts without compromising the remaining furniture system. In addition, once the product's life has run its course, the components can be easily separated for recycling and repurposing or disposal. The two main materials were selected due to their opportunities for reuse and recycling. The Plywood made from the fast-growing birch trees can be recycled as long as there is no chemical treatment. The same goes for the printed nylon components. The printing process of HP's Multi Jet Fusion allows for a lack of waste and support material with the ability for excess material to be reused. The parts, once printed, can be converted back into a powdered filament form and reprinted.

The longevity of Metanoia is encouraged through user interaction and ownership. Ownership of unique things creates a sense of pride in a market saturated with predominantly undifferentiated products and services. The introduction of 3D-printed furniture in a residential setting is still very new. As a result, Metanoia will fascinate and delight its owners and guests. Once attachment is established, users are more likely to preserve product life through careful handling, restoration and postponed replacement. The creation of comfort and familiarity, combined with high spatial functionality, encourages better product-user attachment and positive experiences in the home.

Bio

Cherise is a passionate Product designer operating in Sydney, Australia. She has a love of problem-solving and the hands-on practice of conceptualising and prototyping. The knowledge she has gained from her Product Design honours degree and diploma of Innovation have aided in her user-centred approach to designing responses for real-world issues. Cherise has often taken inspiration from functionalist and minimalist design movements, making conscious design decisions to minimise socio and environmental impacts. She enjoys designing for positive and meaningful experiences through product-user attachment and playful interactions, focusing on a design's functionality and straightforward simplicity.

previous project / next project