marshmallow-like sofa by kei harada

‘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.’ 

harada approached the design of a sofa asking the question ‘what shape will naturally invite a person?’ 

a detail image of the styrofoam orbs

‘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.’

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

an example of a sofa covering

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