As a child, I had a hands-on approach for trying out different ideas, as bookish knowledge never fully satisfied me. I often used to make simple objects with available materials at home. Gradually, this developed as a zeal to live a life where every day is a new challenge with new thrills.
Handy Pouf has a layered combination of plywood and veneer with changeable upholstery on the seat.
These life skills took me towards a kind of education where people explored through hands-on experience, learned new things in everything they do every day.
The ultimate stepping stone towards honing my design skills was my education in design. There was not much of awareness in my family about such courses, but nonetheless they were my backbone and emboldened me in every step of the journey.
Design is a lifelong learning process and that’s what I believe in as a designer. I graduated as an architect from APIED, Vallabh-Vidhyanagar and post-graduated as a furniture and interior designer from NID, Ahmedabad. Both the institutes have poured art and design knowledge along with life values into me and thus made me who I am today.
Hue bar stool comes in various colours and is ideal for cafés.
In my professional journey, I have always been indigenous and true to my ethos. My designs tend to be experimental and contrasting. I have worked on various projects with companies like Godrej Interio, Hettich and Daffco – A Coffee Day Company to gain a holistic knowledge about the furniture industry.
Each project gave me a unique experience in terms of learning new ways to familiarise with different materials and other aspects of design.
In the six months that I was with Godrej Interio, I conceptualised a metal bedroom set – named ‘Fundoo Bed Set’ which has changeable headboards and side trays, under-the-bed storage cum pull out seating which adds value to a contemporary product along with being a cost-effective structure.
Wave chair is a single curved mould of plywood with a detachable structure below.
Another interesting project that I have done with them is home utilitarian products from particle board scrap generated in the factory which evolved as a line of seven different products from five board sizes. The sizes have been derived by using the golden ratio to get the prodigious proportions.
I have also designed a peculiar joinery detail along with the product which can accommodate all possible joints of wooden boards and the user can dismantle the product without any tool. I have applied many facets of mass-manufacturing and modularity here too.
A set of pouf cum stool design for informal spaces.
I have also created different kinds of furniture where I have implemented new ideas and tried to justify them.The Hue bar stool and chair set is designed for use in a cafe. Using rubber wood as the structure with moulded ply seat and back makes it light and sturdy. A conventional way of treating any wood is to polish it but what if the same polish has some colour in it? Keeping the wood grains intact any light coloured wood can be treated with coloured stain polish. Coloured wood grains enhance the product by lending it a natural look.
Thus, one can develop various colours for the chair according to the ambience. Same moulds can be used in both, the chair and bar stool with minor modifications.
A simple bent ply seat with an additional upholstered cushion for semi-outdoor spaces such as cafés or food junctions.
The Handy Pouf is an informal seating option without a back support. It is designed to be used in informal gathering spaces. Bright colours of upholstery add liveliness to it, while use of Corian surfaces makes it more vibrant and capable to serve the purpose in semi-outdoor spaces too. Light weight, easy to handle and maintenance friendly are some of the USPs of the pouf.
The Wave chair is designed for the café segment as a simple bent ply with wooden structure. The foam and fabric adds a contrast to the overall look. A cut-out in the back makes handling much easier. There are two design options for the lower structure for the customer to choose from.
Woody developed through a study on folding mechanism where 6mm MS rod has been used at 5 pivotal points.
The chair is designed in such a way that the upper shell and lower structure can be produced separately and joined together after applying the final finishes. The upholstery is amendable.
The design of this chair has gone through multiple refinements to make it more minimalistic without compromising on comfort.
Presently, I am working as a creative designer in the field of architecture, furniture and interior design. In the future, I would love to do projects which challenge me and energise me. I think most of us believe that life is a change but I believe in the other way round and I have perceived that in my odyssey till today.
Contact
email: birju.direction@gmail.com
