Year: 2019

University Project: Massey University Wellington, School of Design

Team Members:
Will Palmer
Charlie Budd
Chris Britton

The NinetyNine flat-pack chair is a light-coloured sweeping wood 

frame, completed by a black low-profile seat pan. 

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The challenge for this design was to construct a flat-pack dining chair that would be suitable for a contemporary interior environment. The chair must support 125kg, flat-pack into a maximum of 4 pieces and primarily consist of timber used in an intelligent and conservative way. 

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The name NinetyNine originates from the predominant angle found around the chair. 

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The main design approach behind this chair was to create a frame that took the spotlight with a strong, singular and flowing appearance. The seat pan had to become a secondary feature visually while maintaining the semantics that it is a place to sit. 

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The original focus was on aspects such as the ability to flat packing efficiently and simplicity of form. Problem-solving then had to take place in maintaining a level of elegance, while finding ample strength through good construction and material choices. Ensuring that the chair is suitably ergonomic to be sat on in scenarios like dinners, waiting rooms, and short time frame workspaces was another major design challenge that was solved through aspects such as the curvature and height of the backrest. 

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The two primary materials used are American Ashwood for the frame and black HDPE plastic for the seat pan. The seat pan is able to be manufactured out of recycled products. The final product is constructed using domino joints, kerfing, laser cutting and heat bending of the HDPE.