May 28, 2019

“The Future” was the theme that students at Kent State University considered to design chairs for the 15th Annual Wilsonart Challenges Student Chair Design Competition. Each entry was inspired by the students’ personal interpretation of what the future means and how it can be expressed in a chair design. For the first time this year, students were encouraged to explore this theme through parametric design and digital fabrication. Students used patterns from the  Wilsonart Laminate Collection. The winning chair and five runners up made their first public appearance in booth #2213 at the 2019 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York.

Wilsonart, a creator of engineered surfaces, developed the year-long program, which is both a sponsored class and a competition. Students learn how to design and build a one-of-a-kind chair, as well as how to prepare for a major trade show. Wilsonart introduced the program more than a decade ago, making it the longest-running sponsored student design class in the U.S.

Greg Genter won the 2019 competition with his design “Assembly.” His chair is an exploration into what a chair should be. Assembly requires that the user put energy and thoughtfulness into the act of sitting. In turn, by putting in this energy, one inherently connects more with the object and thus receives a richer experience. The judges’ noted that Assembly is both art and architecture. The chair takes cues from Brutalist architecture and the architectural sense of form and multi-function. The use of laminate in Assembly’s design made the volume of the form read more as an authentic and integrated object. Judges also appreciated the chair’s monumental scale and the choice of gray that allowed for a delightful play of shadows.

“Using parametric design and digital fabrication helped the students concept, design and build chairs that have an architectural sense to them,” said Grace Jeffers, design historian and Wilsonart Challenges program director. “Through this process, the students have created stunning chairs that are an excellent expression of the brief they were given – to think about the future.”

A different design school hosts Wilsonart Challenges each year. This year, Wilsonart worked with Kent State College of Architecture and Environmental Design. Director of the Interior Design Program and Associate Professor Pamela Evans, IIDA 2018 Educator of the Year, and Associate Professor Bill Lucak worked with the students over the course of the year.

“The process is one that takes the students, professors and staff on a journey of exploration of not only the design process but one of self-exploration,” Evans noted. “The six chairs that are exhibited here are examples of that endeavor.”

Every chair is one-of-a-kind, handmade by the individual student and not intended for mass production. Genter will receive a scholarship and an all-expenses paid trip to New York to premiere his chair at ICFF.

“From a chair inspired by the philosophy of ‘Go with the Flow’ to another one that communicated ‘Life is a Journey,’ this year’s students have beautifully expressed their thoughts about the future,” said Tammy Weadock, communications manager at Wilsonart. “The future was also a perfect guidepost for designing with laminate, a material which continues to evolve each year in equal parts art and engineering. We are overwhelmed with the students’ artistry, creativity and inventive uses.”