Overview
The design for the Rhyme chair started mid-pandemic when China was experiencing a major shift in working culture. People who normally traveled to offices every morning were now working from small apartments, sometimes shared with family members who were also confined to the home. Not everyone had access to a dedicated desk, and people were often working from dining tables, sofas, and other shared spaces. To address these changes, we wanted a chair that would be equally suitable for working all day and fitting into the shared parts of the home, such as the dining room.
Design process
We explored many seating ideas in sketches and came up with the concept of using a two-part plywood structure as a low-fi way to create enough flexion and comfort in the backrest. Through a series of rough full-scale prototypes made in our workshop, we refined the design until we were satisfied that the chair could comfortably support someone sitting and working from the chair all day.
Design inspiration
The form of the chair takes cues from the smooth and calming shapes of river stones. The upholstery uses a three-tone material palette available with bright, poppy accent colors or a more traditional muted palette, which becomes an understated and natural addition to the home.
The Rhyme chair was also designed with two backrest and three base variants to make it more suitable for a range of home environments, including dining rooms, living areas, and home offices.
