lanzavecchia + wai: no country for old men domestic objects for the elderly

‘no country for old men’ – a collection of domestic objects for the elderly by lanzavecchia + wai all photos © davide farabegoli

‘no country for old men’ is a collection of domestic objects for the elderly addressing the everyday difficulties they encounter. composed of three different designs: the ‘together canes’, ‘assunta chair’ and ‘monolight table lamp’, the body of work has been developed by italian-singaporean studio lanzavecchia + wai as a means of complimenting the domestic living spaces of seniors.

‘T-cane’, ‘U-cane’ and ‘I-cane’

the ‘together canes’ come in three versions – the ‘T-cane’, ‘U-cane’ and ‘I-cane’ – which provide enhanced support and mobility to individuals. each device is outfitted with a different platform which allows one the flexibility of moving around with more ease– whether its a small table for bringing along their tea, a storage basket for magazines, books or small items, or a table unit to prop their iPad for enjoyment from the sofa or typing out documents.

‘T-cane’

demonstrating the use of ‘I-cane’ and ‘U-cane’

the ‘together canes’ collection

‘assunta chair’ with yellow seating attachments and without

with aging, comes the natural decline in muscle tone and bone density which results in decreased mobility, stability, strength and endurance. actions which we take for granted in our younger years become more difficult as we get older. sometimes even just standing up from a seat can be a challenge for some seniors due to muscle mass and loss in strength. the ‘assunta chair’ assists by appropriating the user’s own body weight as a leverage via a foot bar. this added component contributes to one’s stability, while also offering a tilting motion which aids in lifting one’s body out of the seat more easily.

showing the course of action of getting up from the ‘assunta chair’

‘assunta chair’

detail of the chair’s handle

‘monolight’ in landscape and portrait models

an object which illuminates and magnifies, the ‘monolight table lamp’ features a magnifying screen and LED components housed within a CNC-machined aluminium enclosure. it is meant to address the issue of deteriorating eye-sight which comes with old age, as well as having spent long-hours in front of a computer screen. anchored within a dodecagon-profiled marble base, the design provides a range of viewing angles depending on one’s visual needs. available in both portrait and landscape models to accommodate people’s reading preferences, a simple gesture of tilting the aluminium frame allows one to angle the frame accordingly, while the heft of the marble base keeps in in place.

the lamp can be angled according to the user’s preference thanks to the dodecagonal base

‘monolight’ in use

threading a needle with the aid of the fresnel lens

‘monolight’ lamps illuminated