Leira Lounge Chair: A Blend of Zen and Modern Comfort

Refaeli Ma's Award-Winning Design Inspired by Chinese Zen Chair

Leira Lounge Chair is a unique piece of furniture that targets the millennial generation, the soon-to-be leading consumers. Living in a fast-paced urban environment, millennials often find themselves overwhelmed by their social and work lives. This chair is designed for those who want to treat themselves with high-quality personal time at home. The spacious interior space allows users to change positions however they want, offering ample seating space. The unique ergonomic backrest form provides the most comfortable support.

The chair's design was inspired by the Chinese Zen chair, known for its large sitting surface that allows people to put their entire body into the chair. The Zen chair's harmonious and peaceful artistic conception deeply inspired Ma to design and manufacture the Leira lounge chair. The wooden frame of the Leira chair is wrapped in soft leather, and its daring, organic lines and delicate stitching design make it unique and exquisite.

Leira Lounge Chair is made of suede and leather upholstery, lamb fur for the pillow, plywood for the CNC shell, and aluminum for the base. The overall dimensions of the chair are 38.61’’W x 38.4’’D x 44.5’’ H. The chair's design project started in September 2016 in Pasadena and was completed in December 2016. A full-scale prototype of the chair has been produced.

Ma conducted extensive research for this project, including in-depth market research to understand the lifestyle of the target audience and bring that understanding into the design. More than 100 individuals were interviewed, and various online surveys were conducted for additional insights. After deciding on the design concept, Ma researched literature and documentaries for inspiration and spent countless hours researching ergonomics to come up with the best backrest shape possible.

The main creative challenge for this project was to present Ma's design language and find the balance between the design and the actual manufacturing process. Despite these challenges, the Leira Lounge Chair was awarded Silver in A' Furniture Design Award in 2017, a prestigious award given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation.