The Next Imperatives Of Human-Centric Design
Danish design is an institution in itself – a globally recognised culture rooted in the functionalism and human-centric orientation of its most famous protagonists in the mid-twentieth century.
Their legacy has influenced many Danish designers and furniture manufacturers since, despite the changing times.
Relatively young brand Houe, for example, which was established in 2007, is characteristically Danish in its stated aim to provide ‘affordable luxury’ – indoor and outdoor furniture that marries craftsmanship with mass appeal. But the brand also has other concerns.
Today, of course, designers and manufacturers face a multitude of challenges that were not on the radar during the height of the golden era of Danish design. Climate change, pollution and resource depletion are among them, and designers and brands
– no matter their location or culture – must find routes toward mitigation in what they do.
Among Houe’s latest products is an indoor chair that exemplifies this perspective of concern for humans and contexts greater than ourselves. Falk is made with post-consumer plastic that’s been recycled from Danish household waste. Houe partnered with two of Denmark’s most ambitious waste-minimisation and plasticmoulding companies to create what it calls “a minor revolution with an enormous potential.”
Falk was designed by Thomas Pedersen (an award-winnig Danish designer) with a modern and simple language. Its recycled plastic shell (black in colour), with a cutaway area at the rear, offers flexible support for the back.
It sits atop either a central column leg or a set of four legs, which are produced in powercoated metal or oiled oak (a second option for the four-leg construction only). The optional seat pad is upholstered in 98-per-cent post-consumer recycled polyester and two-per-cent new polyester.
While some of Houe’s other products favour materials with good sustainability credentials such as bamboo, Falk is just one step toward the new imperatives that are sure to define design in the years ahead.