‘o’keeffe’ sofa’ by kei haradaall images courtesy of kei harada

 

 

 

japanese designer kei harada approached the design of a sofa asking the question ‘what shape will naturally invite a person?’ – and from this inquiry, he created the ‘o’keeffe’ sofa. harada built marshmallow-like elements to allow a user to explore different sitting positions, combining the bulging forms in a calculated fashion for an almost climbable structure. each organic orb is made from styrofoam covered with two types of urethane foam and a stretchable cloth, all attached to wooden frames that function as joints for each pillow. harada points out the value of children using his design: ‘although this sofa was not built specifically for children, it was my impression that the children intuitively understood my intentions of inducing motion through the sofa.’ 

marshmallow-like sofa by kei harada - 2harada approached the design of a sofa asking the question ‘what shape will naturally invite a person?’ 

marshmallow-like sofa by kei harada - 3a detail image of the styrofoam orbs

marshmallow-like sofa by kei harada - 4‘although this sofa was not built specifically for children, it was my impression that the children intuitively understood my intentions of inducing motion through the sofa.’

marshmallow-like sofa by kei harada - 5harada built marshmallow-like elements to allow a user to explore different sitting positions, combining the bulging forms in a calculated fashion for an almost climbable structure

marshmallow-like sofa by kei harada - 6

marshmallow-like sofa by kei harada - 7an example of a sofa covering

 

 

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