It may weigh less than 5 pounds, but in terms of design impact, our LessThanFive Chair is a heavyweight.
On Friday the chair added to its already full trophy case – this time with a Gold Award in the “office” category at the prestigious international iF DESIGN AWARD competition. The LessThanFive Chair was one of only 75 products chosen for the gold award, out of more than 5,500 submissions from 70-plus countries.
An independent expert jury selects the winners, and they loved the LessThanFive Chair’s “exceptional material quality combined with an intuitive form. The use of carbon not only leads to an extremely light chair, but also lends an interesting aesthetic expression, which is both futuristic and contemporary. Details such as connections and transitions have been solved precisely and perfectly.”
Michael Young (left) himself attended the awards ceremony, held at BMW Weld in Munich, and accepted the award along with Maik Schoenfeldt (center), Coalesse market manager in EMEA.
Combining function, ergonomics and modern craft
Created by the Coalesse Design Group and Michael Young, the chair is entirely made of carbon fiber, one of the strongest and lightest materials available for industry and design today. Despite its light weight, it can support up to 299 pounds. With no hinges or connecting pieces, it can be used both indoors and out, and it’s completely customizable.
“We wanted to create a functional and ergonomic carbon fiber chair,” says Michael Young. “Both shape and structure of LessThanFive are influenced by our collaboration with a manufacturer of high-performance bicycles. The technique is perfect for creating an ultra-light, stackable chair.”
“The chair reflects the craftsmanship of the 21st century, which is characterized by clear, structural shapes,” adds John Hamilton, Design director at the San Francisco-based Coalesse Design Studio. “It’s an iconic product that represents a revolution in the way Coalesse is defining modern craft.”
The LessThanFive Chair is the second Coalesse product to win a Gold iF DESIGN AWARD. Our Hosu Lounge was similarly honored in 2013.
LessThanFive has also won the Best of Best of NeoCon Silver Award, the Building Innovations Award and a GOOD DESIGN Award. Next up is the 2017 Red Dot Award competition in May. Will we rack up another award? Stay tuned …
