BSc Product Design
Ben Vigars
I have a passion for making people's lives better. Whether through the spaces they interact with every day, the products they buy and use, or through sustainable practice improving the environment; my work should increase people's happiness and make doing what they love easier and more enjoyable.
Fælles Dining Bench
In modern, high-end restaurants, chefs pay close attention to every part of the experience. They control the environment, the interactions, and the way the food looks and tastes. Traditionally, there has been a lot of waste and non-sustainable practice in restaurants. Modern chefs are attempting to change this. They might use foraged or local ingredients or preserve food for use out of season. As they try to control all these factors, furniture is a key area for improvement. The Fælles Dining bench is designed to fit into the modern restaurant whilst being fully sustainable. It can be fully disassembled to single material pieces and repaired or recycled easily. All the materials meet the highest standards for sustainability, such as FSC approved timber and British made canvas seats. It is also designed to enhance the experience of the diners as it encourages meals to be shared and brings people together to connect over a meal. Bringing people together is a key aspect of restaurant experience and is only enhanced by this bench. Inspired by the mid-century Scandinavian designs with an added modern twist, the Fælles bench is a simple design that will fit well into any restaurant space.
Miljø 700
Coworking spaces are a hugely growing part of the office market. By 2025it is predicted that there will be 42,000 coworking spaces worldwide. Within these spaces there are 2 issues that users raise as concerns; these are distraction and privacy. The Miljø 700 desk lamp is designed to provide the user with the ability to reduce distraction and create an environment for work.
It is designed with 2 different lights, a mood light, and a task light, with a switch that fades between the 2. This allows the user to create 2 distinct environments for relaxing or for working. Within these environments the brain is predisposed to be productive or to relax. This thinking is taken from sleep hygiene; the principle of creating an environment to prime the brain for sleep.
The lamp uses steel box sections with a textured powder coating, in light and dark grey along with a bright orange, and Richlite, a paper composite material that can be machined to expose layers of paper-like wood grain. This construction and finish mean the light is tactile and inviting to use. It is designed to fit within many of the modern spaces that are common among new coworking spaces. 700 in the name refers to the extended length of the arms, allowing the light to cover large desks.