Hatch
How can you design a chair for multi use?
I was challenged to design and make an upholstered reading chair for kids.
Hatch was my final project for Chair Studio, where the goal was to design an upholstered reading chair for kids with a secondary function of my choice. Reflecting on my own childhood love of binge-reading comics, I used that experience as inspiration. I remembered how I would sit in unconventional ways—upside down or sprawled across armrests—while reading. With this in mind, I set out to create a chair that encourages playful, flexible seating.
I used bending plywood to create laminations that were laid across a mold and pressed in a vacuum bag. Once the pieces were molded, I trimmed them to shape on the table saw. For the upholstery, I sought out a canvas-style fabric with enough flexibility to stretch smoothly around the cushion’s curves. While I couldn't find an exact match, I was able to manipulate the fabric by stretching it diagonally along the weft and weaving to achieve the desired fit.
My design process began by imagining where this chair would belong and who would purchase it. I envisioned a user with a well-furnished home, someone who values their interior aesthetic and wouldn't want to disrupt it with typical kids' furniture. To address this, I drew from mid-century design principles, aiming to create a piece that feels timeless and cohesive with elegant interiors. Inspired by the simplicity of iconic pieces like the Eames Lounge Chair 670, I designed Hatch using a single mold for all laminations, emphasizing repetition and clean, minimalist lines.
