Ry Lounge
A blend of Scandinavian design attitudes with American sensibilities.
DIS Furniture Design Summer 2025
Exploring Scandinavia
While studying abroad in Denmark. I not only learned Scandinavian design methods but, despite the course’s quick six-week pace, the value of a slower life and appreciating simplicity. The journey began with a study tour around Scandinavia, exploring cities, museums, and showrooms.
From Denmark’s
beautiful craft…
…to Finland’s
enchanting nature…
…then Sweden’s
tranquil countryside.
A Sense of Home
While on the study tour of Scandinavia, much of our travel was done by bus. Rides through the countryside reminded me of long drives in America and visits to my mom’s house in Tennessee. Breezy fields, simple homes, and fields of yellow flowers invoked a sleepy tranquil pace of life.
Somewhere to Return
After being tasked with creating a chair and traveling through a seemingly
never-ending collection of new chair forms, I wondered what a chair that was an expression of me would look like. The cozy lounge chairs drew my eye in each room we traveled to. A lounge felt like a destination more than just a functional item. Somewhere you could spend a whole day while the hours fly by without noticing.
Bringing the Chair to Life
The process of creating a physical chair began with rapid prototyping. Wooden sticks, trace paper, and cardboard were rearranged to explore various shapes. Models allowed for an understanding of scale and quick changes in form and design.
Drawing at a Human Scale
The underside of the legs curve was developed by bending and following the natural arch of a T-Square, insuring a soft form.
A one-to-one scale cardboard model of the chair was constructed. A way to test the lounge’s feel and look for errors.
Precision in Construction
Creating a set of technical drawings allowed for an understanding of any problems during construction. Joinery placement, along with angles and curves of the chair, were selected during this phase of creation.
Selecting the Wood
The chairs design demanded wide pieces of wood with beautiful grains which would highlight the organic form.
Creating a Jig
After designing such a curved form for the legs, it became clear a jig and router would be the ideal fabrication method.
Simple Connections
The frame was primarily created using wooden joinery. Dominoes glued into the side frame allowed for strength, while dowels allowed for separation and reassembly of the chair.
Gluing Frames
Gluing up pieces was an essential and precise step in ensuring the strength and beauty of the lounge.
Adding Joinery
Adding joinery to the frame and crossbeams allowed for chair assembly and minimized material.
Packing Flat
The lounge is able to pack into a much smaller box for shipping when taken apart. The use of dowels and screws connecting crossbeams to leg frames allows for a quick assembly.
Dowel
Screw
The front connection of the legs consists of dowels and a screw for assembly along with glued dominoes to connect the wood .
Domino
Routing + Soaping
To give the chair a delightful appearance I finished the chair by routing edges, soaping, and sanding for a soft texture.
Making A Pattern
The final step in developing the chair was sewing and creating the seat form. Cutouts enhanced the comfort levels of the chair while also establishing a modern form.
Southern Sun in a Scandinavian Seat
Inspired by the faded fabric of a couch left in a sunroom, the lounge has a muted red canvas seat. The chair’s blend of cultures is invoked in this element.
Tying it Together
Ties were added to the final form of the fabric seat. Adding a sense of interest while also supporting the chair’s structure and comfort level.
Returning from
a Life Abroad
Anyone can say that studying abroad changed the way they look at the world, and they all truly mean it. So, of course, I could say the same. The process of building the chair and living so deeply in the moment during this experience was a fresh start. Funnily enough, the fresh start, the ability to live without expectation, revealed more deeply who I am as a designer and person. Although this lounge is complete and this experience is over, the most important lesson was a project as a beginning and never an end.
“If only you could design just one good chair in your lifetime – but that simply cannot be done,”
-Hans J. Wegner