DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
DD : The sudden death of a family member caused me to reflect on life and how fast it can be taken away from us.
I wanted to create something that would be able to capture and translate those powerful feelings, emotions and thoughts.
DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
DD : I wanted to reflect and translate feelings in an elegant, continuous movement or form.
DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
DD : I would like to see it being produced and sold globally. Maybe have a limited edition series as well.
Time will tell.
DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
DD : I drew the first sketch somewhere at the end of December 2020.
January 2021 I had the first digital plans.
June 17, 2021 the 3D printed structure was delivered to my house.
Finally, I collected the fully upholstered and finished chair in Antwerp, Belgium on March 11, 2022.
DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
DD : I created this chair as a goal I have set for myself.
I wanted to deliver something to the world that would forever be linked to my name.
DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
DD : I would like to sell the production rights so that the chair can be produced and sold globally.
DI: What made you design this particular type of work?
DD : Nothing really, it just happened.
We could say it was God's "grace" that made me do it. Pun intended.
DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?
DD : I guess everything I consumed in the form of books, video's, visits, music, etc. over the past few years led to the creation of this design.
DI: Who is the target customer for his design?
DD : Nobody in particular. I believe this design has an elegance and form that somehow is timeless. It could go with different finishes and materials and fit in different settings. From high-end use in the lobby of a hotel to furniture in a private home.
DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
DD : It provides a certain wow factor and the way it is interpreted changes from person to person, from feeling to feeling, making it a unique experience. When you walk around it, you discover something new from every angle that could change your interpretation of what you see, which I believe gives the design a certain personality and soul. It is more than an object that you can simply label as a "lounge chair”.
DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
DD : It has multiple meanings, some I will not give away.
But mainly grace as in being gracious, linked to it's forms.
It also comes from the "grace" of God for giving me the talent to create this chair. For which I'm grateful.
DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
DD : Vectorworks for everything related to 2D and 3D design.
DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
DD : Its complexity hidden behind elegant and flawless forms.
DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
DD : I collaborated with Materialise NV for their 3D printing services.
Sophie Doore from Cover & Couch did the upholstery
DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
DD : Huge. Basically the whole design is created with modern day technology.
DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
DD : Materialise was given carte blanche to choose which printing technology and material they would apply. Because of the build size they selected Stereolithography (SLA) and Tusk Somos Solidgrey3000. They selected SLA because of the build size and isotropic characteristic of the printing technology, Solidgrey because it’s a robust and stiff material which works well for functional prototypes.
DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
DD : The difficulty was to find a material that could follow the given shapes while having the strength and rigidity to bear the weight of an adult without deforming.
DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
DD : I felt this design had something special, something I wanted to share with the world.
DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
DD : The whole process went smoothly. I can call myself lucky to have worked with amazing people during the process.