Seriously Being That Furniture

The idea behind this project comes from short moments of stopping during a busy work day.

Since early in 2020, almost the whole world has switched to a long-term pandemic mode. The consequences - no awareness of the need to pause work and handing over private life to the mindset of being at work - are the setting of this project which aims to research and design for little healing moments in an Everyday context, facilitating moments of releasing body stress (physically) and being “empty” (mentally) for a short while. The project takes “everyday furniture” as the starting point of design, but takes it in a new direction: the design of furniture that can offer a long-lasting sense of connectivity and belonging in its healing experience. In approaching the vision of Everyday healing moments, this project seeks to fill a notable gap in research on everyday data, ubiquitous representation and appropriate (interaction) design. Through researching and designing different interactive furniture pieces/accessories that can each offer a healing experience on a daily and long-term basis, furniture in this project is integrated with daily routines and movements and human behavior in such a way that micro-pauses are possible and inviting. Installed in the way, but out of the way.