ariel lynne sculpts meditative seat designed in the heart of scandinavia

unhappy with the selection of chairs on offer specifically designed for meditation and peaceful reflection, ariel lynne has shared her concept for a thoughtful, minimal wooden seat. called the ginkgo floor and meditation seat (owing to its resemblance to the leaf of the same name) the concept arose from lynne’s journeying around scandanavia, immersing herself in the region’s many and varied design aesthetics. created to help you slow down, relax and take stock of the world around you, each curve is intently placed to subtly enhance the user’s experience.

the seat is called the gingko chair owing to its resemblance to the leaf of the same name

crafted in a workshop in copenhagen, ariel lynne used a novel method to find the original shape of the chair. ‘early on in my stay in copenhagen, I biked to a park near island kastellet that had a sandy area and pressed my bottom, spine, and legs into the sand to study the impressions this made’, she explains. ‘from this small seed of inspiration I continued on to learn and immerse myself in the culture and beauty of scandinavian design’. 

the ginkgo on display at UIC’s furniture show

for lynne, the process of building the chair was design driven, but sculptural in inspiration and form. after milling and plaining raw lumber, she cut out 18 profiles using a bandsaw and began to shape them. ‘the sanding techniques were vigorous and required a sculpting type of mindset’, she continues. the form was created using belt sanding, rasping, angle grinding, and hand sanding. the fluid design of the base rises up and peaks into a handle, making the gingko easy to carry and hold. 

each curve is intently placed to subtly enhance the user’s experience

for lynne, the process of building the chair was design driven, but sculptural in inspiration and form

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.