aqb magazine 2014

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Inanimate

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PORTFOLIO 2014ANDREA QUIROS BALMA

Costa Rican designer Andrea Quiros Balma, graduated from the Savannah

College of Art and Design with a double major in furniture and fibers. She devel-ops responsive and emotionally durable

products and is interested in the creation of systems, structures and textures.

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CONTENTS

Trio

Babu

Nudo

Infinita

Rosettes

Folds

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5

9

13

29

33

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Video Gen.

Niyamas

Parola

w.w

a.a

a.w

75

69

37

47

53

59

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TRIOTrio is an origami influenced piece. It is conformed of three bent plywood pieces that are exactly the same and fit into each other to support the weight of a sitting per-son. This first prototype was a study of form more than anything else. Now that the shapes are able to confrom to one another, a collection of furniture based on the same principle could be possible.

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BABUBabu is a night lamp designed to represent the patterns normally painted on matryoshka dolls. 3D printing tech-nology made it possible to make the intriate details in these typical dolls to become three dimensional and reveal the light that in this case remains inside.The prototype was printed in white and in a nightlamp size but these aspects could change to increase its presence and light.

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NUDOThis ottoman is a reinterpretation of the trending cro-cheted ottoman in the market. It is hollow inside due to its wooden structure which gives possibility of being flat-packed for shipping or transport in general. The wooden circular structure is covered by two sleeves, one of white cloth and one which is crocheted and held by an elastic to keep it in place when put on. Nudo is a side table and a small seating possibility.

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THE REJECTION OF NEUTRALITY, MONOTONY AND STATIC LIVING

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INFINITA

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The beauty lies in breaking away from the paradigm that upholstery should

be sold as a set design, and instead

seeing it as a renewable blank

canvas.

Creative expression is a necessity for humans, and though functionality is an es-

sential part of design, it can not govern it. I want to induce ‘the fantastical’ into furni-

ture. Two things concern me, profit driven homogeneity is harming the development of innovative furniture design today, while

simultaneously near future technologies present a possible threat to the place of

designers in the market. The popularity of DIY modularities is an indicator of the de-

mand for change in a market where good design comes at a quantitative high price

and at a qualitative price of great emotion-al commitment.

Immanuel Kant once wrote, “in a broad

sense a persons aes-thetic is the formal di-mension of the unique

way in which he or she experiences, responds

to, and engages with the world’. Relative

to our intimate living spaces, this view not only emphasizes the

need for our interiors to reflect effectively who we are but also explains the importance of reproducing

that which we find beautiful in our lives. A practice that arguably reinforces our indi-viduality to others, as well as to ourselves

and our outside physical world.

This relationship between owner and design is also elucidated by Donald Winn-

icotts view regarding objects and art. He writes, “there is only the viewer and the art as they share a co-constructed psychic real-ity; an area of illusion”. These moments of

illusion or fantasy– sometimes disregarded – are reflections of who we are and be-come stronger and more transformative if the owner has participated in the process of creation of the design. Furniture lives with us for long periods of time, yet many times fails to represent the psychological and physical changes we undulate through in our daily passing. After all going back to the same house every day is not always as exciting or rewarding as we are condi-tioned to believe. If home doesn’t speak for who we are at a certain moment in time, home sweet same old home, can fail

to provide the soothing nurturing aura it claims to own.

I propose a line of seating solutions that can be changed in style and form upon demand and that can be bought modularly. As a result styles could be added to personal ‘furniture clos-ets’ whenever desired. Without the guilt of having to dispose of expensive pieces of furniture or structure.

It would follow that the form of the chair in this case not only follows function but in addition, lifestyle and your daily mood. I set out to design this line of seating as a skin and bone system. The body or skele-ton is mutable but restricted. Its skin and soul are adaptable and dependent on the conceptual symbolism granted to them.

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MANNEQUINS FOR SEATING

I n fashion, designers use mannequins as a basis before going on to the fitting of the models, in which case

our skeletons become the mannequin. I have designed a blank canvas for seating based on this principle. A space for eternal exploration and expression. The infinita mannequin can stretch and contract from a dinning chair size to a sofa size, and holds the skins that are put on top of it with mag-nets instead of the typical nails.

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NEW PRODUCT CATEGORIES

4

1

4

2

8

8

Components

The beauty lies in the breaking away from the paradigm that upholstery should be sold as a set design, and instead seeing it as a renewable blank canvas.

A single frame is an eternal space for exploration and expression.

c Andrea Quiros-Balma

REDEFINING UPHOLSTERY DESIGN

infinita style joints

back poles with infinita caps

leg poles with infinita caps

Back cushion cover

seat cushion cover

pre-sized metal rods

magnetized pins

By breaking down the items that make up a chair into individually sold items the possibilites become infinite. Just like clothing companies have special-ized designers for shoes, shirts, pants, sweaters, etc.The sleeves are one com-ponent, but the full look will depend on the legs put with it and the internal structure that supports it. For example, whether the poles in the back have arm rests attached or not.

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NEW PRODUCT CATEGORIESAs the chair expands it begins to show the telescoping metal

inside . It stays in place be-cause of the magnetic pins that

are going through both the joints and the telescopes.

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IDEATION

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DELICATE FABRIC

MODELING

D ue to the reflection that fashion fabric styling could be relevant to upholstery, I focused first in the

delicate intervention of fabric to exercise techniques of couture sewing. The origami magic eight ball model shown above was the start of a sewing technique which I used to make rossettes. These became the main technique used in the first cover for Infinita.

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PROCESS

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PAR

ABO

LIC

M

OV

EM

EN

T

T he movement in the infinita chair was originally inspired by the movement found in hyberbolic parabola models I did in paper. To capture this

movement I went through a variety of materials and tech-niques, all in search for the tension and line quality that I could see in the paper model. In the end, the final cover for infinita was created by merging this with the technique used for the rosettes in the previous page, in order to achieve the line quality but signify space within the chair in a more embracing manner.

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GEOMETRIC SHAPE

RELATIONS

became interested in sacred ge-ometry as a way of understanding the folding of paper. A few models

that resembeled pockets caught my eye and became models for cushions possible for sofas. This shape was then adapted to the infinita chair as part of a line. These shapes also relate to Trio, shown earlier in the book.

I

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COFFEE FILTER

TAILORING

offee filters when repeated create very intriguing

patterns and shadows. Af-ter some experimentation sewing the coffee filters to-gether and painting them to see the shapes they could create, I went on to interpret them in textures created with fabric. The textures created are mostly based on the repetitive nature or the lines created by the coffee filters and the curves that break through them.

C

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PROCESS

hile trying to tailor with fabric the shapes of the coffee filters I started to think of creating a

more masculine look for the chair which could resemble a mans suit. The cover ended up being very simple, however a shape applicable for sofas a chairs alike which could be done in a variety of fabric textures. In the photograph below I was experimenting with the possibility of having a pixelated version of the fabric currently on the chair.

IN SUIT

W

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Linen hand sewn

rosettesappliqued

to linen and silk cover.

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Rosettes wrap aroun the chair showcasing the back. Perfect for Dinning chair size.

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Linen machine sewn into pleats over colored cotton. Cover held together with earing designed by Guayasamin.

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Cover meant to drape around

the chair giving it a flow effect reminisent of

coffee filter sculptures.

Underneath lies a basic

white cover for infinita.

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Silk bamboo over stuffing

hand sewn to be pleated in

circular form.

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Free form pleated cover over plain Suit style cover for support. Ideal for lounge chair size.

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Bamboo silk pieces sewn around center. Does not need back cushion cover. Style shows the col-or of clothing worn that day from the back.

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A suit for a chair with a

little bit of flare. Cotton

light blue den-im hand sewn

with orange thread.

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SURFACE AND TEXTURE

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This collection was designed as a tribute to the traditional clothing of women around the world and the traditions or beliefs behind them. It looks into our world wide ances-tors and appreciates them all as a patchwork and unison. It is influenced by toile design, considering it as a glimpse into a day in the life around the world of women.

WOMEN OF THE WORLD

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After a visit to the ancient temple of Angkor Wat in Cam-bodia I designed this line of patterns targeted for bedding. The motifs are influenced by carvings found on the walls of Angkor Wat, and resemble the colors that might have existed in times of use, based on small paint residues seen on the surface. The shapes are somewhat rounded con-sistently similar to mexican otomi embroidery, providing another opportunity for the manufacturing of the pattern.

ANCIENT ANGKOR

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ARCHITECTURE WORLDI have collaged together a few iconic buildings from around the world, creating a city scape that in only possi-ble in our imaginations. This city scape includes buildings that still exist today, ruins and replicas of models found in burials. The implied prescence of most cultures in the pattern aims to reinforce the idea of a world wide culture that celebrates the achievements of our kind.

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FOR THE MARKET

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CAT SCAPES

Fits the hand as a glove. Easy for scooping. Clear.

Rocky pond.

Ceramic bowl. decorative curves on the ourside.

Scooper bowl. Measurging food possiblity.

two materials.

Water waves on a

glass idea. Shape on the outside protects the inside

Departamental

placemats.

Divisions. Scratch-ing surfaces,

bowls and ponds.

memory foam

placemats. ultra

comfort. chilling spot.

Bunk bedmemory foam and wood.

cat stool. minimal scratcher

growth with the animal. Modularity.

storage for food. scrathing post on the outside.

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Reaserch of wild cat behaviour is essential to be able to design for domestic cats, there is only so much we can do to domes-ticate them without taking away their essence. Instead of resisting cat be-haviour lets embrace it, in a stylish way of course.

The Scapes Collec-tion finds the fine line between a happy cat that is both wild and educated.

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SPOONSDesigned to function as scoopers for dry food with a measuring of aprox. one cup to control pet obesity. Ergonomicaly designed to fit the human hand and have a comfortable aper-ture for a cats head.

PLATESThese small plates are designed for serving wet food. They highlight the food with the outer rim, making the presentation of it much more graceful. Maybe the cat wont care, but the owner will. This is gourmet eating.

PONDSDesigned ergonomically for cats laping, a technique they use for drinking water. This is a comunal shallow pond in which a pride of domesticated cats can come together.

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Cats can gather around the pond with an indi-

vidual place of their own. The collection is meant to grow with the owner, con-sidering that the quantity

of cats they own might increase over time. At first

they can buy the small mat that holds the pond plate in place. Once the

owner acquiers a second cat, then the smaller mat can be placed inside the

bigger one for 3 cats to go around the pond. If the

pride grows to more than 3, the mats can be separat-ed and a second pond can

be created.

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VIDEO GENERATION

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Based on the research done for the MODHome project for HUISEN furni-ture I designed the Video Generation line. The company asked for a line of products that featured a media center that could be sold at Target or Walmart. The sketches shown are examples of the initial concepts presented to the company. This line of products is intended for those who want to revitalize the space they live in without spending too much. Those multitaskers and survivors that are tyring to make it in todays world and that need every possible positive input they can get. Influenced by video gamer culture and their immedi-ate optimism, the media station and lego bookcase that goes with it showcases video game consoles and dvd-game boxes.

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GREENHOUSE LOUNGE

Working with interior design firm Laurel in Costa Rica, I designed a line of furniture to be built for the ‘Green House lounge’ in the ‘Las Catalinas’ high end beach town. Items were built by craftsmen in the Guanacaste area and accesories by Laurels textile manufactur-ing shop.

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Andrea Quiros Balma Furniture&Fibers [email protected]

aqb magazine 2014

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