‘Amigo’ wins international innovation award
INTENT to create versatile and sustainable furniture for children that last well into their adulthood, The One Academy student Lim Joe Yi designed an innovative two-piece modular furniture that won her the second prize in the Malaysian International Furniture Fair ‘Furniture Design Competition 2020’.
Her creation, called ‘Amigo’, can serve as a rocking chair, mini lounge chair, study table and chair set, side table, laptop table, storage and ottoman stool.
The School of Interior Architecture and Design student said furniture for kids are often tossed away or recycled once children outgrow them.
“This is because the childish look of the furniture clashes with the overall interior ambience and it also takes up valuable space in the house.
“I developed ‘Amigo’ to solve the issue of furniture waste due to this perennial problem.”
She said ‘Amigo’ was designed to be sustainable for long-term usage, accompanying users from childhood to adulthood, in the hopes of reducing furniture waste.
Designed for kids and adults of different age groups, its usage is multifold, Joe Yi explained.
She credited her lecturers for guiding her throughout the process to ensure she’s on the right track.
“The material and construction classes that I studied also helped a lot in providing me the knowledge for furniture functions and materials.”
Entering its eleventh year, the competition themed ‘Kids Wonderland’ provides a platform for emerging designers to showcase their innovative ideas before a global audience of furniture manufacturers, retailers and industry influencers.