Intent Through extensive research, conducting interviews, and analyzing the state of modern marriage and relationships, we developed the question: "How might objects foster more meaningful communication between couples?". Our intent is to create a furniture piece which: supports shared moments, minimizes distractions, and encourages face-to-face interactions. Sketch iterations allowed us to explore diverse solutions as a team, before narrowing our focus to a seating object.

Designskolen Kolding

4-Person Team

Supervised by Peter Barker, Anna Memasu Sesay, Thomas Wagner

Designed for Communication. The shape of the seat gives each individual the opportunity to shift their posture and preferred position while still maintaining proximity with their partner. 

A room within the room. Tall sloped backs help focus and direct users' line of sight with their partner's, while also helping to minimize distractions. 

Out of sight out of mind. An exterior shelf with wireless charging capabilities at the entrance to the seat gives an incentive to users to place their phones outside of the space, and out of sight when seated. 

Process  Through creating large-scale models and mock-ups, we were able to analyze how space affected human interactions and emotions, and test our our designs on a 1:1 scale.

Research + Insights Through extensive research, conducting interviews, and analyzing the state of modern marriage and relationships, we developed the question: "How might objects foster more meaningful communication between couples?". This direction stemmed from three key findings. First, that intimacy is built through physical interaction and cues. Second, that the mere presence of cellular devices in a space can impact the quality of relationships. Finally, third, that there is a tension in people's homes: while they report desiring more privacy they simultaneously wish for their homes to facilitate their most important relationships.