ELEFANTE
A chair design for the Riva 1920 Contest (2016).
The ‘Elefante Chair’ is an elegant yet playful design, named as such for the curved resemblance of elephant ears. The design is functional as well as aesthetically balanced, easy to move around and comfortable to sit in. The chair is designed to use the sides as armrests or to simply sit normally. The construction consists of a wooden frame screwed together, with the upholstered seat resting on top of the frame. The dark leather mixed with the wood gives a natural, modern feel. It was conceived to align with the brand Riva1920; well known for their wood furniture.
Inspiration was drawn from various concepts, including the shape of the elephants ears as well as the animals’ playful behavior. Riva1920 lacks that more playful aspect to their collection as of now. The curves and discrepancies of wood and its patterns that naturally occur in the material are a crucial part of the process, as wood is vital to Riva1920 as a company. Wood has an organic and imperfect design of its own which, in itself, can be an inspiration.
