Dim Sum

Dim Sum a rockingchair
A number of studies have found the act of rocking releases endorphins in the body that produce a calming and relaxing effect. Reducing anxiety as well as pain in people recovering from illness, there is evidence to suggest the regular use of a rocking chair actually shortens recovery time.

These studies also demonstrate a rocking chair may actually do far more for physical and mental health as the relaxation provided by the rhythm of rocking also improves the ability to focus and concentrate. Aside from these benefits, there are few other products that evoke such a domestic feel and the inclusion of wood in the design, as well as referencing the traditional notion of a rocking chair, helps to domesticise the feel of the piece.

The form itself, whilst intentionally unusual for a rocking chair, has a familiarity that is at once understandable even though the usual idea of a rocking chair is one that is more upright with a turned wooden frame and is associated with an older demographic.

I wanted the concept to appeal to a broader range of age groups and create a form that envelops the user, using the more familiar form of a larger occasional type chair and combining it with a rocking function. Whilst an uncommon marriage of features, it seems a very logical and intuitive combination for a chair designed for relaxation.

The name came form the form which is reminiscent of the spoon used for eating Dim Sum, the slim handle that flows into the wider spoon similar to the narrow back of the chair and the way it curves down into the form of the arm and seat.