CANOPY PROJECT
Lasting furniture that will remain with the family after the child grows
Furniture with another level inside: the family. The CANOPY COLLECTION (2021) explores freedom of movement and elements of discovery, playing with emotions and creating memories for children and adults. A design that attracts interaction welcoming the child to the social areas of the home.
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REINVENTED ARTEFACTS
THE TABLE:
A six‐seating dining table is the central piece of the collection. A commonplace artefact reinvented through our understanding of the places where the child wants to be. The top of the table is functional and simple while the underneath comes alive!
Length: 2100mm | Width: 900mm | Height: 750mm
THE BENCHES:
The table allows for three seats to be positioned in each side, so the members of the family can face each other without hierarchy. Interactive movable benches invite proximity between adult and child.
Single bench: Length: 400mm | Width: 420mm | Height: 460mm
Double bench: Length: 800mm | Width: 420mm | Height: 460mm
Materials of table and benches:
Valchromat®, a moisture resistant dyed wood fibre derived from forest waste.
Recycled t-shirt yarn. No glue, nails, bolts or nuts needed.
The benches can also be combined with fabrics like corduroy, which has an interesting texture and is also easy to wipe.
THE RUG:
The seating place of the child is a rug that also delineates another area for independent action. Because we all know that children sometimes do much better sprawled out on the floor.
Length: 800mm | Width: 600mm
opendesignnow.org
"Design is undergoing a revolution. Technology is empowering more people to create and disseminate designs, and professionals and enthusiasts are using it to share their work with the world."
OPEN SOURCE FURNITURE FOR THE FAMILY
Open Design: everything is makeable, anytime, anywhere, by anyone.
Renata Aminian explores the concept of distributed manufacturing through Open Design (or publicly shared design information). This approach to design for family life opens an opportunity to also embrace the design of the experience engaging the users in the manufacturing process. Families are able to choose from buying a ready-made product from our collection or making the furniture themselves at a local level in Makespaces (or digital fabrication laboratories). Makerspaces have been also called a FabLab or a hackerspace. They are places for making, collaborating, learning and sharing.
Distributed manufacturing is powered by an increased accessibility to the Internet and to digital fabrication tools, such as CNC routers, laser cutters and 3D printers. Such technological advances in ways of production and communication lead to a new social structure characterized by the sharing economy, a concept of lateral power that can be encouraged through Open Design. We believe that social and environmental sustainability can be addressed by Open Design, as distributed manufacturing decreases the need for long distance transportation of goods, fuel consumption and pollution. It enables individuals and communities to co-create and have their share of a future which has already arrived. A future that needs to be more evenly spread.
Our CANOPY COLLECTION will be made available to download soon! Watch this space and, meanwhile, clique here to find a list of 70 active hackspace-like spaces around the UK and start to get familiar with them!
WHAT WE ALL NEED IS MORE LIBERTY!
Childhood has become more visible in modern society and it implies a growing appreciation of the child’s needs by families, institutions, and the industry.
The Pandemic has also changed the way we parent. Families were required to stay indoors for an unprecedented amount of time, and it may represent an increase of interest for the furniture that supports and improves a new rhythm of life.
An extensive research on the science of early childhood inspired and informed this collection, resulting in a design that aims to meet the needs of children and adults alike.
When Maria Montessori was starting her work with children, she stated that the best use of space allows free movement and independence. One activity that all children must do by themselves is mastering the environment, a question directly related to furniture. "What children need is more liberty.” (Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child)
