ICFF: Chris Jackson’s Pythagoras Stools

At the recent Design Week show, we had time to speak to British-born, New Zealand based designer Chris Jackson about the stool he was showing in the ICFF section. Taking inspiration both from the sheer distance that New Zealand is from the rest of the world and a need to protect natural resources, Jackson has created a piece of furniture that is made from three identical pieces of metal that link together. The idea is that a factory that one day produces this will only need to produce one piece and therefore minimize both waste and the need for any additional materials.

In his design, the designer also considered how many panels could be stacked in a box – therefore minimizing transport costs and reducing environmental impact. The design is constructed from a single, repeated module, laser cut and folded from 2mm aluminium sheet, with a powder coat finish.

Jackson says that Pythagoras aims to question the pre-conceived notion and value of ‘flat pack’ furniture, challenging the conventional aesthetic and traditional methods of assembly. The number of processes involved in production has been kept to a minimum, and costly, visible interventions such as welding and mechanical fixings have been avoided.

An additional bonus feature is that, by offering different colored panels, the buyer can make their own version of the chair – whether monotone or multicolor.

Northwards Design Studio