Mission anti-multifunction
“Mission anti-multifunction” is a series of furniture that emphasizes the issue of losing concentration in work and life. The collection consists of three pieces of furniture – each one focuses on one single mission. They functionally and visually remind the user to cherish the moment of focus.
Personal project
14-week project
2021 Spring
#furniture
#designphilosophy
#sheetmetal
#manufacturing
we are losing the art of concentration
With lots of technologies and products that allow us to do things more conveniently and simultaneously, we start to lose the ability to concentrate. As a result, we lose patience with things that truly fulfill us and bring happiness to our life.
what
What if the furniture around us can help us be more focused. We can start by focusing on simple tasks like reading a book, writing on a piece of paper, and just enjoying a cup of coffee.
how
Principles for “Mission Anti-multifunction” are: Limiting the available resource and creating visual cues that lead to focusing on a single mission.
Mission 01
write something
Minimum requirements:
A piece of paper
A pen
A hard surface
Mission 02
read something
Minimum requirements:
A book
A bookmark
Mission 03
a coffee break
Minimum requirements:
A cup of coffee
The collection consists of three pieces of furniture. Each one focuses on one single function: writing something, reading something, and taking a coffee break.
The podium-like shape and the use of negative space visually guide the user to cherish the moment of focus.
A desk that holds books for daily reading time.
Books – in progress
The shelf itself works as a giant bookmark. Users can place the book they are reading on top to remind them to keep reading it.
Books – to read
The bottom part works like a physical reading list, which provides ample storage space for books the user plans to read.
A desk with a letter-size writing platform, indicating a dedicated moment of writing.
Letter-sized recessed area affords the activity of writing on a sheet of paper
Paper sticking out – represents an ongoing state
A table that supports a cup of coffee for taking a nice coffee break.
At first, I wanted to use a more exaggerated way to indicate the action of writing. So I created a mechanism that can move a pile of paper up with a knob to keep writing. Later on, I decided to simplify the structure using a letter-sized sunken area to clearly show the “Write Something” concept.
Even though many people read digitally nowadays, I still decided to design for reading physical books in this “Read Something” concept. This is because reading physical books has a sense of ritual and a better focusing feature in its nature than reading digitally.
We can read books anywhere. I don’t need to design a table or a surface for people to read books. The key to focusing on reading is how to continue this action and repeat it regularly. So I moved away from designing a reading desk and ended up creating a giant “bookmark.”
The problem of lack of concentration affects not only our work and study but also our rest time. We can’t even concentrate on enjoying a cup of coffee these days, and coffee breaks are often associated with dealing with chores and browsing the phone.