See the entries that caught our editors’ eyes.
Each week through January 2021, we will roll out two Editors’ Picks from GRAY Awards 2020.
Editors’ Pick: Swurve Chair
Keilhauer
By GRAY Editors
The Swurve Chair by Keilhauer is available in 22 color options.
Working off the idea that conference rooms are no longer just a place for formal meetings—they provide employees with space for one-on-ones, team get-togethers, individual work sessions, casual brainstorming, lunch, parties—Toronto-based design firm Keilhauer presents Swurve: a dynamic and flexible office chair that is also the company’s first carbon-neutral seating option.
“The Swurve conference chair was designed to bring a relaxed, comfortable but elegant solution forward for meeting spaces,” Keilhauer writes about its product. “It is a refined, dynamic solution that can respond to all the varied needs of people. Lightweight, comfortable, and carefully scaled, Swurve can easily be moved and rearranged to create an area that respects physical distance while encouraging collaboration.”
The design was spearheaded by Keilhauer’s Andrew Jones, who notes that “soft, round shapes not only feel great for chairs, but they also connect with people on an emotional level. Swurve softens up the workplace with sitting and visual comfort.”
Sleek lines give the Swurve Chair a timeless look.
In order to reduce overall carbon emissions, Keilhauer examined every step of the chair’s lifecycle from making sure to select and source sustainable materials and using responsible manufacturing, to a carefully thought-through end-of-life and recyclability plan. “Where carbon emissions remain, such as during transportation,” the firm writes, “Keilhauer is investing in carbon-reduction and climate-change mitigation projects to offset. Verified by third parties, every Swurve sold will produce net-zero carbon emissions.”
Our editors noted the wide range of color and material offerings (22 different colors of mesh, leather, and leather-alternative upholstery)—a rare (and more fun!) departure from the standard whites, blacks, and grays in most office settings. The simple clean lines and hidden ergonomic supports are an added five-star bonus.
CATEGORY: Product: Lighting, Furniture
PROJECT: Swurve Chair
FIRM: Keilhauer
DATE OF COMPLETION: June 2020
LOCATION: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DESIGN TEAM
Andrew Jones
Keilhauer Design Team