#20 UN-Folding the Familiar | Studios Architecture

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CONCEPT: find something commonplace and elevate it. Our overall goal was always to create something that's smaller in scale, useful, portable, and comfortable. The theme of 'change' was everpresent in our minds as we searched for our base object.

On our hunt through many thrift stores in the bay, we discovered countless forgotten folding chairs, of varying materiality. All of them with a similar style and compactness, mostly rigid and austere, never soft, inviting, or stylish. Folding chairs were easy to find. The wooden ones we purchased were about as basic as you can get - simple and classic. They’re a no-frills solution for extra seating. And now that people are starting to be more social with friends at home, there’s actually a need for this again. Our concept evolved from taking a pair of common folding chairs to elevating them by adjusting the proportions, refinishing, and upholstering. We wanted to transform them into something more elegant and plush, a set that makes a statement when displayed, yet retains the features of the chairs that make them so classic and popular: their compactness and ability to easily store. For the 'comfort' and 'elevation' aspects, we were inspired by other beautiful furniture you'll see in our inspiration images update on Classy.

We were drawn to the thick plush tubes that created the texture, in lieu of a fabric pattern. The idea that the fabric could transform into it's own form, with it's own personality caught our attention. We were also drawn to furniture that highlights the hardware; where the hardware becomes the pop of color. The hardware does not try to fade into the wood, like the typical folding chair, instead it is proud and bold. For IT is how the wood can do so many things. On our chair, the big bold blue extension bracket announces itself, shooting the height of the chair towards the sky.

Finding a way to weave into the chair, and figuring out how we might extend the chair took the help of one extra, sacrificial, chair -- that had been sitting next to Colleen's dumpster for about a year. Thank you, chair, for your service. With the ottoman, we had a loose plan, and Gigi and Atousa just for it, and started cutting, for we knew we'd have to figure it out as we went along. It turns out much was the same story with the extension of the chair, and of course many hours along the way were spent sanding down the previously yellowed hue of the forgotten wood, in order to brighten and restore the glow.

The story of how the extensions and the base chair meet, was not an easy one to solve. The cross-sections, as it turned out, were not the same, but with much sanding and some paint, we were able to coax them into working together to create a strong joint, giving us the elevation that we seeked. In the end we have a plush, stylish, set of ottoman and chair. The pair of which can be used to sit back, and put your feet up, or put a tray of hors d'vours, or site with a friend and chat, and then fold it all up and put away for next time. cheers to Un-Folding the Familiar, Liz, Gigi, Atousa, Colleen, Emily -- The SF Studios Team

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