Inspired by Joseph Beuys' use of felt in his performance, I Like America and America Likes Me, the Fuhlte Lounge was designed with themes & material taken from the performance. Through the act of living in an enclosed space with a coyote, Beuys’ performance began to speak to identity, nationality, and the process of comfort through familiarity. Intrigued by his choice of felt in the performance, I explored the material further as I saw its potential in furniture. Its connection to humans is rooted in a history of warmth, protection, & survival as a material. Using Beuys’ iconic shepherd hook as a starting point in form, I carved the oak components by hand to appear vaguely as human joints that stand as points of familiarity in the piece. To create the felt cushions, long strips of industrial felt were individually wrapped around the stretchers of the lounge. The wrapping technique speaks to a quality of protection through the material and also a nod to Beuys’ mythical origin story.

Designing around the British war-time motto of “make do and mend”, this tea stool is imagining the repurpose of campaign chairs, a piece of military furniture. Made to be collapsible and flat-packed to seat officers traveling through war campaigns, the campaign chair was iconic in its folding joints and leather sling arms and back. This tea stool takes the collapsible forms from the campaign chair and makes them permanent through steel brackets and solid joinery to solidify its inherent kinetic qualities. By replacing militaristic canvas, leather, and its ability to be mobile, with quilted shearling and mid-century elements, I want to create a conversation about a society’s transition back to normality after a time of war. Using the patchworked shearling as seen in the Blitz Benches, I wanted to also continue the conversation of sustainable habits carried on by a recovering society.

Warmth in Victory, Reclaimed Subway tile, Brick-laid Maple, & Copper

Referencing the rescue sleds used in WW2 snow warfare, the Schlitten Lounge is reimagined in a Mid-Century context. Following the creation of the Fuhlte Lounge, this ebonized oak and industrial felt lounge was an attempt to see the effects of contrasting materials in space. The bright white straps of felt stretched across the ebonized oak frame brings a more serious tone into the work. With a form that resembles a stretcher, it begins to create a relationship between life and death, fatality or rescue. The strips of felt were laminated to a black ballistic nylon to keep them from stretching over time with use.

Inspired by RAF Life jackets and anti-tank beach defenses, this lounge chair is a reimagination of British post-war design. Designing the chair around the position of a body in recovery from trauma, the wooden lounge frame stands tall with spread legs that plant firmly on the ground, allowing the user to feel stable and protected. Its form is proud and immediate to notice, but the relationship between its construction and the user is one of protection. I made the cushions from waxed yellow canvas, the same as used in WW2 Royal Airforce life vests. In this, it is a reimagination of the repurposement of retired war objects- seating cushions made from retired lifevests. Steel brackets that secure the seat to the back were fabricated as a nod to the new elements of postwar industrialism in Mid-Century design.