Making a case for the folding chair

The folding chair has become a staple of the urban dwelling, brought out from the depths of a dusty cupboard when relatives or friends come to town.

While its practical compactness has led to the folding chairs’ ubiquity, in general they have a lacklustre appearance when in use that leave little to be desired. It is this problem that designer David Irwin wanted to tackle when creating the Narin folding chair.

Designed for Case Furniture, Narin is a folding chair that “doesn’t compromise on aesthetics or comfort in order to fold”, according to David. The collapsible element is a functional addition to an already beautiful chair as opposed to compromising these factors in order to fold it.

Furthermore, the solid wood frame is robust enough for use in meeting, conference and waiting rooms.

Narin has continued to garner attention since being awarded Design Guild Mark 169 earlier this year, with it being one of the chosen pieces for Max Fraser’s ‘Elements’ installation at 100% Design (20-23 September) and being shortlisted for a 2017 Wood Award.

In the latest of our short Design Guild Mark films, David talks about the considerations he had to make when designing Narin.