The Korean designer Seok-hyeon Yoon, reinvented the traditional sofa, turning it into a soft, comfortable woven pillow to create our personal resting spot.
Who said no? Who disagrees on sofa & TV being two basic ingredients for ultimate relaxation? Who, during a tiring day of work, have never dreamed of a sofa, with a soft blanket, a steaming cup of coffee and their favorite TV series?
The Sofa is out of doubt a central piece of furniture in our living rooms, each of us having a very personal relationship with it: some people lie down on it, others sit with dandling legs under a blanket, still, others sit on the ground resting their back on it. Clearly, couches are used in many different ways far from the initial design intention and there are many approaches to achieve maximal relaxing on it.
The young Korean designer Seok-hyeon Yoon believes that “our individual lifestyle and cultural backgrounds affect how we relax on this object” and questioning the role that sofas have in our lives, he presented Relaxing Configuration as his graduation project the Dutch Design Week 2019.
Starting from the idea that all that surrounds us can be a source of inspiration, Seok-hyeon Yoon creates projects with the aim to support and enhance our lives, by analyzing them carefully and trying to find a common thread between everyday life, design, society and industry.
His design approach is based on in-depth researches for materiality and socio-cultural contexts, supported by hands-on practice such as drawing and model making, before proceeding with the actual design.
Seok-hyeon Yoon conducted extensive research to understand people’s habits and preferences
His attention to daily habits and needs of society, as well as the lifestyle of individuals in relation to their cultural context, led the designer to interview many different people to explore the essence of how they relax on their sofas.
What emerged from this survey was that sofas are used in many diverse ways based on personal preferences: the typical design of these items does not always make it easy to sit in the most desired way.
Seok-hyeon Yoon ’s Relaxing Configuration is a new a different concept of couch
Trying to reinvent a couch that is not set up at a specific heigh with the traditional structure made up of seat & backrest, Seok-hyeon Yoon came up with a new design solution, presented into two different models, consisting of soft tubular structures that can be woven together.
Inspired by the warp and weft, which are at the base of how carpets are made, Relaxing Configuration is a completely new concept of sofa: the flexible tubes can be knotted and buttoned together letting the chill-seekers shape and adjust their own seating in the most personal-comfortable shape.
Relaxing Configuration enables people to customize their sofa’s structure
The natural hues of these cushions do nothing but accentuate the extremely zen aspect of Relaxing Configuration. These comfortable pipes make it possible to create multiple configurations while adapting to the needs and preferences of each of us.
Don’t you feel like taking a nap just by looking at these pictures?
If you are fond of naps with a certain elegance and style, make sure to read about Malia Mu, a cozy, warm extra-large pillow and about LULA bed, a fluffy foam item for a proper rest.