CB2 + SAIC: the L Bench
Part of a collection designed in collaboration with CB2 to explore the concept of living well, the L bench accentuates all the little spaces we create for ourselves at home, unique to our own styles and lives beyond "living room" and "kitchen." When placed towards the middle of a room, the L shape gives the bench and interior and an exterior, dividing up space while keeping the room open. Alternatively, the L bench can be arranged in the corner of a room, creating a cozy little area for intimate conversation.
Think: prime spot for my 3pm cup of tea or place where guests admire my excellent taste in music.
Concepts
Initially the bench was a foot rest designed to wrap around existing furniture, offering a raised platform for displaying larger objects such as planters. Other options included pull-out seating for guests.
PLAY A LITTLE
This is a collection of objects for children to explore their relationships to each other as well as the built environment by giving them the ability to create discrete microsites within the larger (often adult-centric) environment. Each piece takes inspiration from natural or built features and the types of play with which they are associated.
The nook
The Nook is a cozy little set of curved pieces that enable quieter, more private play. Multiple Nooks can be arranged form partial to whole enclosures, allowing for differing amounts of privacy. The open top and side slits allow light to enter, making such an arrangement a great place for calmer activities, from reading alone to playing board games with a few close friends.
The Cobblestone(s)
A large foam block, the Cobblestone can be used as low, re-arrangeable seating for sharing and story time or landscapes for more active play. With their differing sizes, sloping tops, and grippy bottoms, children of any age can develop a better awareness of how to use their bodies as they crawl, jump, and run across the stones, and a better sense of how irregular things fit together as they assemble paths, giving them a visual and fun way to navigate their environments and connect different spaces.
The Cobblestones began as one large platform with shallow faceted top. The piece could be flipped over to create a moving playscape. This seemed a little dangerous so the piece was split up into smaller and ore manageable pieces. This opens up for different kinds of play and a way to construct their own environment.
The Stoop
Sized to fit multiple children at a time, the Stoop serves as a place to interact in small group settings. Children learning to crawl and climb can have fun as they practice motor skills on the soft, foam covered stairs an adult rotates the Stoop to reveal more challenging side to climb. Older children can manipulate Stoops to create microsites for different types of imaginative play. The warm and bright colors of yellow and orange create a fun, active environment.
The initial concept was for a simple yet dynamic “ribbon” shape that would be easy for children to maneuver. This was too similar to other pieces in the collection so the design pivoted towards a different form. A staircase is a transitional space in architecture as well as childhood, with the climbing of stair as a common goal for most toddlers on their journey to becoming master of the house.
Friendly
It’s fairly awkward to be sitting next to a stranger. It’s even more awkward when your shadows start to play footsie without your consent. Intended for a public waiting area, the benches project a strong beam of light when sat upon, casting shadows that intermingle in the center of the curve as if the shadows were friends, even if the owners pretend to ignore each other.
