[ch]air by Alexander O.D. Lorimer

[ch]air, designed by Alexander O.D. Lorimer, is a chair made from laser-cut ‘zig zag’ strips of cast acrylic that are assembled together to form the delicate looking frame. The geometric base of acrylic was inspired by the geometry of soap bubbles and how they cluster into formation. The structure appears so lightweight and fragile, yet the way each piece is designed and placed together, it’s able to support the weight of a person.

A single bubble encloses the maximum volume of space with the least possible surface area of soap bubble film, forming a near perfect sphere. As bubbles merge together to form clusters they reorganise their geometries immediately, sharing partitions to ensure maximum efficiency in terms of the ratio between bubble cell volume and total surface area. In these clusters all bubble cell edges meet at a vertex, four at a time, at 109.5 degree angles.

Caroline Williamson is the former Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk and a writer with a passion for modern design, architecture, and creative culture. She holds a BFA in photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, solving New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or curating Spotify playlists.

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