Revisiting age old concepts in design

A contemporary couch design by a Victoria lecturer in Interior Architecture harks back to days of old, when furniture was handed down through the generations.

Natasha Perkins recently returned from eight weeks abroad, where she made connections with other architecture and design schools in New York, London, Tokyo, Osaka and Milan and exhibited her couch 'Nudge' at the Milan Furniture Fair, the largest furniture exhibition in the world.

Nudge is a design philosophy referring to the idea of nudging production and material selection towards eco effectiveness.

"The couch design draws from our grandparent's era, with a crochet cover and blanket on the back," says Ms Perkins.

"It uses sustainable materials and no glue - and is made so that if some part of the couch wears out it can be replaced."

The couch utilises two New Zealand primary products - timber and wool. The frame is made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) plantation grown hoop pine plywood with powder coated steel legs and arm inserts. Urethane foam squabs are covered in organic cotton and the removable crochet wool cover was made in collaboration with Lynda Richardson, a well-respected knitter, crochet and pattern designer from Otaki.

"It has been great to meet with so many industry leaders in furniture design and to have had the opportunity to make them think about the materials they use in production," says Ms Perkins.

"The Japanese in particular loved the concept, and it provoked much thought about retaining craftsmanship throughout the generations - much of their furniture is now made in China."

Ms Perkins also showcased her acoustic CODE tiles which she developed with Hutt Valley manufacturer Calvert Plastics Limited. The product won a prestigious international "red dot award" in the product design category for 2010. The tiles are made from Auxtex 100 percent polyester (PET) of which 60 percent is recycled from soda bottles, that is industrially needle punched and pricked, creating a felt like sheet material with acoustic properties.

"The research I'm doing looks at slowing down consumption - making products that last and can be passed down through the family - and recycled if need be."

Both the couch and tiles were developed in collaboration with product designer Jonathan Mountfort.

Ms Perkins' trip was made possible by Victoria University's New Researcher Grant (NRG), and Conference funding that partially funded the project.

"I am so grateful for this funding - it is a great opportunity for emerging researchers to network overseas, and get feedback on their work."