Adjustable Desk

For a D&AD brief we were asked to design a working table, surface, desk or tablet-like scenario for young students aged between Seven and Seventeen year olds. The design must use 80% Kronospan wood

We focused on 8 year olds that are taught in one classroom. These classrooms have to function as maths and english rooms as well as creative art and crafts

We found that:

Floor Height is ideal for group work and mind-mapping - 'an infinite surface'
Seating Height is ideal for drawing and writing - 'focused working'
Standing Height is ideal for making - 'free movement'

We wanted to make an 'adjustable surface that moves from floor level to sitting to standing level'
Heres a stop motion video of our concept -


D&AD Adjustable Desk Concept from Charles Dedman on Vimeo.

Here are the visuals:

New Balance Furniture - London 2012 Olympics

The shoe manufacturer approached Kingston University to create pieces of furniture for their Experience Centre in Millbank Tower for the London 2012 Olympics, celebrating 30 years of manufacture in the UK

My group, Isabella Hollentin and Sang Jun Park and I were inspired by New Balances 'newSKY' trainer, that uses material created from recycled PET plastic bottles

We collected waste sponge and foam from a visit to the upholstery factory 'Classics Furniture' and from the studio, that other groups were going to chuck out as they dismantled where furniture. This became our stock pile of material to base our wing-back chair design on

Heres some initial sketches

This is our Wing-Back I found on the streets of Kingston

The making of the Sponge Chair

The finished Sponge Chair

Next we started on a stool/foot rest for the chair

We thought it would be a nice idea to feature the modern technology of QR Codes and when visiters at New Balance Experience Centre were relaxing on the Sponge chair could scan a QR code, access our blog and learn about the chair they were sitting in and the project as a whole

Above is the QR code for the blog we ran alongside this project:

http://csi-operation-chair.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/csi-beginning.html

(Scan it with you smart device or click on the link to access our blog)

We thought why not combine the craft of weaving with the modern technology of QR codes

Using off-cuts from the New Balance factory in Flimby, UK, we cut strips that could be woven

Unfortunately the stool didn't scan but we think with more precision it would have worked

The finished Sponge Chair and QR Stool in the New Balance Experience Centre

Check out other works by my class on the New Balance website:

http://www.newbalance.co.uk/London-Experience-Center/london_experience_landing_page,en_GB,pg.html

Buffet Desk

The Buffet desk aims to resolve two problems I think most desks have, poor storage use of fitted drawers and the lack of customisability

 Instead of drawers, use four storage pots (440m by 330mm, 140mm deep) that sit within the desk top

Covering the pots are lids, that once in position create a seamless surface for general use

On the flip side of the lids is a functional surface to aid you work
- A lightbox, this requires a light source in the pot beneath
- A cutting mat, very useful for when making
- A pop-up book stand
- A laminate surface, that is pen, food and hot drink proof, protecting the nice plywood top

The top comes standards, you can customise which functional lids you require, one of each, two of one or four of the same etc.

London Fashion Week 2012 - Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins is an emerging talent within fashion jewellery based in London. Check out his website - 

http://kylehopkins.co.uk/

Kyle approached a friend and I, asking if we could design and make two large light boxes to display
his latest collection for London Fashion Week 2012

Here are the visuals we sent to him, which he and the organisers approved

The idea being Kyle could fill the layer between the clear and frosted acrylic with whatever was appropriate for the exhibition, achieving infinite effects to backdrop his work

105° Chair

Screen and Mirror

H:68.5cm W:61cm D:13.5cm

Links and Connections

H:101.5cm W:50cm D:68cm