Every week (although the timing isn’t particularly fixed), I see a chair sketch on my Instagram feed, and after having seen and liked dozens of them, my mind can almost instantly recognize @nickpbaker’s style and brand of creativity anywhere.
Given the hashtag of #nickschairsketches, Baker uploads unusual conceptual chair designs almost every week. The chairs showcase inventiveness that one rarely sees in furniture design, as concepts take inspiration from quite literally anywhere. Scroll down to see a few of our favorites.
Designer: Nicholas Baker
I dub this chair the inside-out chair because of the way it’s built. With a hard, molded plywood outside, and a removable plush felt cushion inside, the chair can be used both as a hard seating device or a soft seating device, or even a lounging device by combining the two. Clever, isn’t it?!
Building on the idea of converting chairs into loungers, this design actually comes with a slatted construction and a hinge that allows the lounging module to fold right into the chair. Fold it in and you have a nice, sturdy chair. Fold it out and you’ve got a chair with a nifty leg-rest!
Here’s a third way of going about it. Stackability! The chair comes with the leg-rest right under it. Lift the chair up and flip the leg-rest over and you’ve got a chair that’s slightly shorter, but has a nice comfortable place to keep your outstretched legs… or maybe use the leg-rest as an ottoman stool or side-table.
I’d imagine a villain from a Pixar movie having this chair with piranhas inside it. Probably not the kind of chair you’d see in Peta’s headquarters, this one is actually an aquarium you can sit on. Made from thick glass, the aquarium is shaped like a chair and can actually accommodate a human on it, although I doubt if the fish would like that view.
However, if you’re going to combine chair and water, this is absolutely the way to do it. This chair/pool hybrid is perfect for people of all ages. Just fill the water in and beat the heat! Hey Nick, how about building a bottle-holder into this one.
Two likely materials and one unlikely material come together to make this chair. First, you’ve got a bent-metal base/framework, on which lies, secondly, the cushion that covers not just the seating area but the backrest too, and then right at the end, you’ve got rubber-bands that hold the cushion to the base! Quite unconventional, if you ask me…
Another metal+cushion combination that has my heart. This concept actually creates an enclosure for the beanbag, giving it a more defined structure than being a lumpy blob of leather on the floor. The beanbag sits in the metal framework, and can easily accommodate one human. Who knows, sitting on this sort of beanbag may actually be more comfortable!
Perfect for the person who wants to sit but gently swing too, this chair concept comes with a steel framework from which it hangs. Nothing too unoriginal here, but I actually love the form on this one, and the use, or rather overuse, of arcs and curved lines.
This concept challenges the very idea of packaging. Most products come packed in styrofoam to protect them from damage, but what if your product IS the styrofoam? Designed around a cuboidal form (because of shipping boxes) this chair comes with its own side-table. Made entirely from styrofoam (polystyrene), the chair practically weighs nothing, but can easily take the weight of one, or even two humans on it. And don’t worry if some of the styrofoam chips off a bit. It only adds to the chair’s unusual charm!
This concept is made from a singular form of marble, sliced into four pieces (quite like bread). The largest bit becomes the seating area, while the remaining three pieces become the two legs and the backrest. Aside from the scooped detail, this design doesn’t require much effort or time to put together, since it literally involves slicing and assembly (with no glue or fasteners involved either). The choice of marble gives the chair its premium appeal, and I’d love to see a variant made in granite!
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Click Here to check out the rest in the Nicholas Baker’s Chair Sketch Challenge series
