The seat of emotion
by Gerri Hansen, BrandSensory
Kvadrat Showroom, Shoreditch, London, 26 September 2024.
Five industry leading interior designers were invited to join an opportunity to explore the intersection of design and emotion in this event by hosted Restaurant & Bar Design Awards in collaboration with Ligne Roset Contract and BrandSensory.
Five industry-leading interior designers were put under the spotlight at The Restaurant & Bar Design Awards and Ligne Roset Contract sponsored event..
The dramatic staircase of fabric house Kvadrat’s London showroom provided a fitting entranceway to The Seat of Emotions event on 26th September 2024, hosted by Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, in collaboration with Ligne Roset Contract and BrandSensory.
Five industry leading interior designers were invited to join an opportunity to explore the intersection of design and emotion.
Staged around two signature Ligne Roset chairs: the Rubia and the Pukka, guests were invited to explore, observe, touch and sit in each chair and consider how their emotions can affect their experiences and the design choices they might make, mediated by Gerri Hansen.
Our guests were:
Billie Lloyd-Jones - Senior Interior Designer, Blacksheep
Gautier Pelegrin - Director, Viewport Studio
Clare McDonald - Founder and CEO, Design Command
Sophie Borel - Design Manager, Cheval Collection
Nikita Wilson - Senior Interior Designer, Studio Moren
The five guests were invited as a group to walk around and examine the first chair under the spotlight: the Rubia, a solid wood, walnut-stained chair with a rounded back and an upholstered seat. As the designers explored it, observations were quietly made to themselves and they nodded their appreciation of it’s simple but elegant design lines.
The interviews then began, with each designer taking time individually to explore the chair further, along with their emotional reaction to the experience.
Chair one: The Rubia.
“I feel quite important sitting in this chair”
Billie Lloyd-Jones
Emotions and feelings evoked: Security. Comfort. Safety. Reassurance. Importance. Relaxation. Supported. Calm.
Using multiple senses provided a deeper emotional connection.
All of the designers commented on the surprising comfort of the chair. From the pure visual assessment taken earlier, the expectation had been that the chair would be typically stable and supportive, but upon sitting, touching and reflecting further, feelings of relaxation, comfort, safety and security were described. “I’m experiencing different feelings to what I expected. I expected this to be something that was more like stability, something that was more upright, something to work at, but it's actually very comfortable.” (Billie Lloyd-Jones).
On touching the chair’s textured cushion, sturdy legs, and curved, rounded back and edges, further impressions of importance, confidence, sophistication and luxury were prompted. Clare McDonald explains how the materials reinforced these feelings: “It's got that real nice feeling of luxury and just makes you feel important. I’m feeling Safe and happy and relaxed.”
Visualisation enhanced the emotional experience.
When asked to close their eyes and picture themselves in the chair in an imagined setting, the designers displayed an even deeper emotional connection with the chair. Conjuring scenarios of alpine resorts, family gatherings, members’ clubs and intimate restaurants, the designers were able to transport themselves and describe additional design elements to reinforce the emotions they were feeling.
Sophie Borel saw herself in a chalet in the Alps. “…it's just timber and warmth and calmness and relaxation. It's nature, mountains, maybe a bit of snow. I feel really natural, a bit of warmth. I will be in this amazing, five star, beautiful, large windows chalet. Now that I'm imagining myself in another location I feel like my posture is actually changing in the way that I sit on the chair. I feel comfortable.”
Deep exploration led to emotion-led design choices.
Nikita Wilson explores her emotional reaction to The Rubia chair.
Having explored their emotional reactions and created an idealised environment, the designers were then able to create a cohesive design setting to enhance the promoted emotions.
Gautier Pelegrin describes: “I would see a massive dining table in wood as well, like a dinner or a meal with a lot of people in the big house. That would be one of the things that comes to me, because you could see a lot of those chairs being aligned on the length of the table.”
Nikita Wilson emphasised the importance of complementary materials: “The rest of the materials needs to be strong and heavy I think so…[it would] work well with a really beautiful timber table with a lovely profile, maybe even like a marble top, something that feels like grand, sturdy and strong.”
Summary:
The Rubia was initially considered to be a simple dining chair, but after sitting in it the designers’ emotional reaction influenced further consideration. Initially the rounded back evoked emotions of comfort, security and reassurance, the visualisation exercises allowed them to explore this further, where the sense of being supported also promoted feelings of importance and confidence either professionally or socially.
The guests were then encouraged to explore the second chair: the Pukka, an armchair designed by Yabu and Pushelberg made of ultra-flexible foam, wrapped in 100% wool stretch velvet. As the guests examined this chair, they couldn’t help to push, lean and squeeze it’s moldable form.
Interviews commenced once more.
Chair two: The Pukka
“I feel happy, and at ease and playful. And like, I want to have a gossip or have a fun conversation with someone.”
Nikita Wilson
Emotions and feelings evoked: Playful. Happy. Fun. Love. Connected. At peace. Comforted. Content. Nostalgia. Relief. Gratitude. Energized. De-stressed.
Luxurious textures stimulated a sense of playfulness and community.
Billie Lloyd-Jones felt playful in The Pukka chair.
The chair's soft foam, luxurious velvet fabric and rounded edges played a key role in creating a sense of calm, making it a favourite spot for family and friends to gather, group discussions and play. “I feel like I want all of them in circle, with more people around and just chatting around the coffee table” said Gautier Pelegrin. He continues: “I would be like, Okay, I have this. I can sit there and I can discuss. The kids can come and discuss and play, and you just forget what happened. I think this is one of the those type of chair I think sort of release shedding of the day. Yeah, it would be a filtering. It will filter what whatever happened during the day, just filter it will just deconstruct.” The softness of the fabric also resonated with Billie-Lloyd-Jones: “The chair is very soft. It's the curves as well. And the foam is really dense. It's much more playful with the foam. The textures make me feel very grounded. I feel quite playful in this chair. I feel love, relationships, human connection in this chair.”
All of the designers reported positive emotions in the chair and the main contributor seemed to be the ergonomic design which made it both bouncy and soft, but also supportive. Clare McDonald explains: “It's kind of surprising when you sit in it, because you think it's going to be a lot deeper, and you're not going to feel comfortable instantly, because it's quite deep, but it actually does kind of hug you in a way. And it also looks quite low, but then when you sit on it it's like it's been adapted to fit the ergonomics of your body. The chair makes me feel safe and happy and comfortable and evokes the sense of place. I feel like, this is my area. This is my chair, and it's my space. It's like, yeah, it gives you that safety feeling of your own space, a good sense of place.” Nikita Wilson felt energised and also experienced a sensation of being cuddled by the chair, making her feel comfortable and happy: “it feels like it's like I've sunk in something, and it's cuddled me, and I feel a bit squishy and quite nice. It feels like a hug from a friend.”
Recalling memories triggered deeper emotional exploration.
The designers were encouraged to compare how they felt in the chair to a memory. Sophie Borel vividly recalled spending time with her grandma during lunch and watching TV on the sofa. “Once a week I'd go have a lunch with my grandma... She had this sofa with, like, this really deep seat, probably because it was quite old as well, this really deep cushion… And it was actually a very similar, very similar fabric. So yeah, that… is where it's taking me right now. This feeling of, you know, being safe and having some one-to-one time. So, yeah, comfort, love, hugs and really lovely memories.” Nostalgia contributed strongly for Billie Lloyd-Jones also: “Yeah, it's actually taken me back to - and this is a long time ago - I was probably like eight or nine years old. It was my father's 40th birthday, and it was at a, like a members club style… it was like a listening lounge. They had lots of low, low seating, and it was just a really happy family place to be at. Feeling loved and happy and content.”
Summary:
The Pukka struck quite a deep emotional chord with the guests, with the textural detailing and design contributing to a sense of connectedness, familiarity and relief. The designers all imagined the chair would be used in social settings, noting how carefully considered use of colour and music would also compliment and support clients to feel captivated, at ease, happy and secure.
Gautier Pelegrin reflects on the impact of his emotional discovery.
The designers' reflections on the importance of emotional connection in design reveals a profound truth about the intersection of form and feeling in our built environments.
Far beyond mere aesthetics or functionality, truly impactful design taps into our deepest emotional needs and responses. This is vividly illustrated in the designers' experiences with the Pukka and Rubia chairs. Sophie Borel found that the Pukka chair evoked powerful memories of her grandmother's sofa, bringing forth feelings of love, comfort, and nostalgia. Similarly, Nikita described the Rubia chair as providing a sense of safety and security, emphasizing how its curved design made her feel embraced and protected. These emotional responses highlight how design can transcend its physical form to create meaningful experiences. Clare McDonald's description of feeling "important" and "luxurious" when sitting in the Rubia chair demonstrates how thoughtful design can elevate one's sense of self and place in the world. The designers' reflections underscore the potential for design to shape our interactions and behaviours, and that the most successful and impactful designs are those that forge a deep emotional connection. By considering not just how a space or object looks or functions, but how it makes people feel, designers can create environments and products that resonate on a profoundly human level, enhancing our daily lives and experiences.
View the Seat of Emotions synopsis. Film credit: Raquel Sutherland Media