Parametric Design furniture
August 20, 2023
Michaela Crie Stone lives and works in Rockport, Maine, where she creates pieces that push the parameters of function by blurring the lines between art, craft, and design.
The project Shapes of Sweden was developed for the Volvo Design Challenge that Lilian van Daal won in 2015. For this challenge she dived into the Swedish environment and the brand proposition of Volvo. She merged the essences of these together with her biomimicry approach. After an extensive material research with several bio-materials she concluded with a 3D printed structure out of pine tree that serves some essential functions of a chair: flexibility, resilience and stability.
In Sweden the pine woods providing this resource are available in abundance. Nature was also the source of the design: the structures were inspired on the roots of trees. Lilian was able to capture three topical developments in her Shapes of Sweden: biomimicry (an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies), 3D printing and the use of natural materials.
Not only does the concept have a clear vision on the future but also it shows its strong relation with the Volvo brand. Her work is innovatory, aesthetic and provides perspective for the industry.
