I did a blog post on the Designer Frederik Alexander Werner in March this year. As his final project for his Masters at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts – School of Design, he has designed the Rocking Chair from a brief by the Danish Design Company Menu. With a nod to the classic Rocking Chairs of a bygone era, this one is modern and sleek, while still providing comfort and fits perfectly into our modern interiors. This sees his launch from a design student to a full fledged designer. Read more about Frederik from my March interview here.
How did you come up with the idea of a rocking chair and what was your inspiration for the design?
The rocking chair was actually based on a brief from the Danish design company MENU.
I thought it could be both fun and relevant to finish my studies at The Royal Danish Academy ( KADK) with a team-up project and prepare myself in the best way to the world of design that I am stepping into.
The inspiration is found in so many different products that it is hard to point out but the main thing was of course to combine my own style with Menu’s design universe and existing products.
How long did the process take from idea to production?
It took a few months from the first sketch to the final products. You have to keep in mind that at KADK it is more or less a tradition that you build your final product/prototype yourself. So everything, apart from the upholstery, was created at the schools workshops.
What materials did you use in the design of this chair?
The frame is 20mm powder coated steel tube, the rockers is solid ash with a black oil treatment and the upholstery is textile from Kvadrat and leather from Sørensen Leather.
The materials are all top quality and most of it was kindly sponsored by the different companies.
Now that your final masters project is done, what ‘s next?
I am working with NORM Architects and Georg Jensen.
At NORM we are in the middle of an exhibition called ” The Cabinetmakers Yearly Autumn Exhibition”. This year we are both exhibiting and in charge of the exhibition design as well.
NORM recently made an Art Deco inspired bathroom series for the Italian Ex.t and we are all working on expanding the collection.
At Georg Jensen I am part of the Design Team at their Living Department, working closely with the Design Manager. I am mainly working on in-house projects but also making production friendly adjustments on the design we receive from all the designers.
I hope that I can continue with both companies, expanding my network and still work on my own projects.