The Best Design Awards are a major feature of the local design calendar and some of last year's winners have toured the country to offer first-hand insights into their projects.
The 2021 series was recorded on video. Here is one from the series of twenty recorded.
DINZ Interview
Best of the Best Designers Speak® - Video - Formway
noho
Kent Parker PDINZ & John Britten Black Pin, Formway
Winners of a Purple Pin for Value of Design, Gold Pin for Sustainable Product Design and also the Gold Pin for Structural Packaging 2020, Formway
Co-CEO and Project Director for Formway Kent Parker spoke about the four year development process for the noho dining chair. Starting from the idea that the dining table is a hub of the home rather than just a place to eat, the design team went on to research megatrends, conduct international focus groups, discussions with health experts on areas of digestion and posture, and place cameras in many volunteers’ dining rooms to analyse the use of this space and furniture.
Kent Parker PDINZ, & John Britten Black Pin, Formway
Part of the findings included the fact that 41% of the time spent on a dining chair is spent in forward active postures. From there they drafted a brief to support the hub of the home with a chair seeking comfort and support while also doing so in a way that was sustainable.
Prototypes were placed into people’s homes, each with significant technology to monitor their usage. The final product was conceived using an auxetic shell (a type of hard material that stretches to minimise wear and tear). The backrest is made from Econyl, a proprietary material made from nylon repurposed from either discarded fishing nets or recycled carpets.
To further cement the circular design model, Kent discussed his company’s efforts to recycle or repurpose the chairs after their end of life.
Thanks Designworks for the pre-drinks venue
Supported by
