CD.1 Levitate
Furniture Design Study Abroad Copenhagen
Challenge
Design and build a chair that reflects core Danish values as part of a study abroad program in Copenhagen. The chair needed to be functional, elegant, and minimal; in line with the spirit of designers like Poul Kjærholm and Bruno Mathsson. Designed entirely through traditional methods and hand-built.
Insight/Research
Studying the work of Kjærholm, Mathsson, and Kandell revealed a core tension: visual lightness often requires material risk. Early research focused on cantilever forms, raising the key question:
“How can a wooden chair feel weightless without sacrificing structure?”
INSPIRATIOn
PK20 CHAIR BY POUL KJÆRHOLM, 1968
STEEL FRAME WITH LEATHER SEAT
PERNILLA 3 BY BRUNO MATHSSON, 1954
BENTWOOD FRAME WITH WOVEN LEATHER SEAT
VILAN CHAISE BY JOHN KANDELL, 1987
BLACK WOOD FRAME WITH COWHIDE UPHOLSTERY
Prototyping
Started with hand sketches and small-scale models. Focused on proportion, joinery, and overall form. Prototyping was done entirely without CAD. Received critique and support from Erling Christoffersen and Peter Johansen, both practicing Danish furniture designers.
Learning/Redesign
Through physical modeling, I learned that proportions aren’t static, and that small shifts dramatically changed the chair’s visual weight and presence. I gained a deeper respect for working with wood and leather. Understanding their limits reshaped how I made design decisions.
Final Product & Features
CD.1 Levitate is a hand-built cantilever chair that explores structural risk and visual lightness through minimal materials and careful detailing.
Materials
Solid wood frame, leather and canvas composite straps, exposed steel hardware
Key Features
Cantilever form and leather straps create a “floating” effect
Flexible leather straps provide ergonomic support
Fully analog process: no CAD or CNC, just hand tools and hard work
Integration of splinted miters to maximize strength on integral joints
