Stanley Designs Armchair

I really like the Art Deco furniture from the 1920-1930 and am obsessed with ergonomics. I spent about a year in my spare time measuring using scale human templates and adjusting the dimensions of the chair while keeping the proportions of the original sketches correct. The result is a chair that fits perfectly from foot to knee, from knee to back, and from shoulder to elbow.

I engineered the chair to support a person before any glue or screws are used to secure the arms, seat, and back to each other. The arms, once assembled, support the entire structure using transverse supports under the seat into the arms. The back inserts into slots in the seat so that pressure applied to the back results in leverage pushing against the anchored seat.

Although this prototype does not have the feature, it would be fairly easy to modify the design to include a mechanism to recline the chair without loosing structural integrity.

I'll add more on the construction and design of the chair shortly.

Chaise Lounge

Another popular icon of the Art Deco period is the Chaise Lounge, or Chaise Longue from it's French origin - the long chair. The Egyptians had similar furniture that served as daybeds. Centuries later, the French added an asymmetrical side to the daybed, transforming it into a beautiful long chair, suitable for lounging, laying down, or seating multiple guests.

Pictured to the right is a quick sketch of an idea for my daughter's new bed. The dimensions will allow for a single mattress to be fitted. The open side of the bed will have a hidden safety fence to stop her from falling out while asleep, but will recess when not in use.

The exact proportions haven't been worked out yet. I will make many more sketches from different angles incorporating additional measurements before laying it out in CAD and finally cutting and assembling the pieces.

More to come...