Silhouette Setulo se Fetohang ka Jonah Rappaport

Moralo oa Silhouette Setulo se Fetohang ka Jonah Rappaport ke mohlodi oa khau e hlomphehang haholo ya 2026 Moputso oa Silevera oa A' Design Award Mokhahleong oa Tlhodisano oa Moralo wa Fenitjhara.

SileveraFenitjhara· 2026

Silhouette Setulo se Fetohang

ka Jonah Rappaport

Moreki: Jonah Rappaport

Mohlodi oa Moputso oa Silevera oa A' Design Award Mokhahleong oa Fenitjhara

28,568

Mohlodi oa Khau ea Netefaditsweng

Netefatsa Boemo ba Khau bakeng sa #177693

Etela Sebaka Sheba ho A' Design Award Tokollo ya Boraditaba Baeche ya Moputso

Mebala

Moralo

Mabapi le Silhouette Setulo se Fetohang

Silhouette ke setulo se fetohang se fetohang pakeng tsa setulo se nang le maoto a matsoho, setulo sa ho phomola, le setulo sa ho itšetleha ka ho hlophisa bocha likarolo tsa sona tsa mantlha. Ho e-na le ho itšetleha ka mechine e pepesehileng kapa lisebelisoa tse patiloeng ka tlas'a lesela le apesitsoeng, se fetoha ka ho fana ka mesebetsi e mecha ho likarolo tsona tseo tse bonahalang tse hlalosang setulo boemong bo bong le bo bong. Ka sebopeho sa sona se boreleli, se betliloeng, le ponahatso e hlakileng ea sebopeho, Silhouette e fana ka mokhoa o mocha oa setulo se tloaelehileng se fetohang.

Kamohelo

Mabapi le Moputso oa Silevera oa A' Design Award

Silhouette Setulo se Fetohang ke mohapi oa Moputso oa Silevera oa A' Design Award, kananelo e hlomphehang haholo e fuoang meralo e phahameng ka ho fetesisa, e ntle le e tsosang maikutlo. Bahapi ba Silevera ke mesebetsi e khanyang haholo le e nang le boqapi bo ikhethang e bontšang botsebi, talenta le bohlale ba baqapi ba eona. Silhouette Setulo se Fetohang e lebelletsoe ho ba mosebetsi o motle, oa mohlala, o nang le boprofeshenale bo bonahalang le mehopolo e mecha e tebileng. Moralo ona o hapileng Moputso oa Silevera oa A' Design Award ke mohopolo o hlokomelehang haholo le o ratoang o tlisang molemo mme o sutumelletsang meeli ea bonono, mahlale, moralo le theknoloji. Silhouette Setulo se Fetohang ke mosebetsi oo batho ba bangata ba o lakatsang, o tsosang litakatso, o tlisang maikutlo a matle le o tsosetsang ho makala le ho hlolla.

Ka Mora Moralo

Sete ya Boraditaba

Litlhaku, ditho tsa sehlopha le lintlha tsa botekgeniki tse fanoeng ke moetsi wa moralo.

Boleng bo Ikhethang: 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.
Boholo le Phuthelo: 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.
Lithegi: convertible chair, transformable furniture, adaptive design, experimental furniture, contemporary chair design, multifunctional seating, sculptural minimalism, craftsmanship, human-centered design
Theknoloji ya Tlhahiso: 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.
Phephetso ya Moralo: 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.
Dipatlisiso: 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. The research demonstrates that adaptability in furniture can be achieved without compromising structural clarity or formal integrity, expanding the possibilities for how seating is conceived and produced.
Kgothaletso: 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.
Nako ya Projeke: 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.
Tsamaiso ya Mosebetsi: 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.
Diphatente: United Kingdom Design Registration Nos. 6450716, 6450717, 6450718.
European Union Design Registration Nos. 015106528-0001, 015106528-0002, 015106528-0003.
Canadian Design Application No. 241084.
United States Design Patent Application No. 29/979,089.
United States Utility Patent Application No. 19/419,859.
Litlotla tsa Setshwantsho: All photography, video, and images by Jonah Rappaport, 2024-26.