Silhouette Convertible Chair by Jonah Rappaport Is Granted the Silver A' Design Award in Furniture Design

The Work

Project

Silhouette Convertible Chair

Function

Convertible Chair

Category

Furniture Design

Discipline

Industrial Design

Industry

Furniture & Home

Colors

Gray, Gainsboro, Dark Gray, Black and Dark Slate Gray

Images

5

The Recognition

Laureate

Jonah Rappaport

Country

United States of America

Recognition

Silver A' Design Award

Edition

2025 - 2026

Design ID

#177693

Credits

Image Credits

All photography, video, and images by Jonah Rappaport, 2024-26.

Design Details

Unique Properties

Silhouette is a transformable chair that shifts between an armchair, lounge chair and chaise lounge. Its defining feature is that the structure itself performs the transformation. In the chaise, the suspended headrest and legrest rotate to become load-bearing supports in the armchair, and vice versa. The chair changes function through structural reconfiguration rather than added mechanisms, and in each state the form reads as complete and resolved.

Inspiration

Silhouette emerged from a long-standing interest in transformation in furniture: how an object might adapt to different ways of sitting without compromising formal clarity. It was inspired by the tension between movement and structure, and by the question of whether transformation could emerge from the form itself rather than from added mechanisms. Formally, it draws from the disciplined geometries and material restraint of modernist design while pursuing a distinctly contemporary expression.

Research

This project is an experimental study on adaptable seating. The objective was to create a single chair that can be transformed to support multiple postures without relying on exposed mechanisms or hiding them beneath upholstery. The methodology combined precedent analysis, including measuring and cataloguing existing chairs and chaise lounges, with hand drawing, digital and physical modeling, and full-scale prototyping. Peers participated in use tests of successive prototypes to analyse and help improve comfort, balance and proportion.

Challenge

Three main challenges defined the project. Conceptually, the chair had to function and appear resolved in multiple configurations while allowing elements such as the headrest and legrest to shift structural roles. Mechanically, suspended components required the development of a concealed locking system capable of resisting human load without visible hardware or auxiliary mechanisms. Fabrication demanded precise tolerances, extensive prototyping and iterative refinement to reconcile structural performance with formal clarity.

Realization and Technology

Developed through multiple full-scale prototypes, the geometry, proportions, and biomechanics were refined so that each configuration provides appropriate seat depth, height, and support, rather than functioning as a compromise between positions. After extensive hand drawings and scale models, a precise digital twin was developed before fabrication. The chair’s wood components were laser-cut, hand-routed, sanded, and stained, while custom sheet-metal components and steel rods were cut, manually threaded, welded and finished by hand.

Operation and Interaction

The chair transforms through a fluid rotation of its headrest and legrest: when shifting from chaise lounge to armchair, the headrest becomes the rear legs and the legrest the front legs. Concealed locking mechanisms within the base guide and secure each movement, allowing each position to be locked or released smoothly as needed. Adjustable armrests and an infinitely variable backrest support natural transitions in posture, from reclined to upright, with minimal effort and no external tools.

Project Duration and Location

The project was conceived at the Yale School of Architecture in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Designed and fabricated entirely in the school’s wood and metal shops, the chair was completed in June 2024 following a four-month independent design-and-build process.

Specifications

Approx. 545 mm x 900 mm x 860 mm (armchair configuration) and 545 mm x 1400 mm x 780 mm (chaise lounge configuration). Materials: Baltic birch plywood; steel sheet metal; steel rods; aluminum tubing; custom mechanical locking components; rubber gaskets; black powder-coated steel washers and elongated hex nuts; and leather-upholstered cushions. Finished with a true black stain and clear polyurethane coating. All moving connections are metal to metal, with no glue or permanent bonds between joints, allowing the chair to be fully disassembled, repaired, and reassembled without degrading the wood elements.

Keywords

convertible chair, transformable furniture, adaptive design, experimental furniture, contemporary chair design, multifunctional seating, sculptural minimalism, craftsmanship, human-centered design