SKATE DECK SOFA

In the summer of 2022, I was once again on the cusp of packing my boxes for a move to a new city in a new state. During that time, I was also attempting to design one new product every month as a way to keep my design skills sharp between jobs.

Looking at my couch, my mind recalled all the times I helped friends move these behemoth pieces of seating, wondering why easy-to-move sofas have not become a mainstream consideration for furniture builders. Therefore, I went down the rabbit hole of sofa design to see what I could perhaps do differently. Could I design something wildly unique that maintains the comfort of a modern couch without sacrificing mobility? The Skate Deck Sofa became the result of my exploration.

DESIGN CONTRIBUTIONS:

OVERALL Exterior ConcepT
COMPONENT DETAIL IDEATION
Design review and critique

I HATED MOVING SOFAS AND WANTED SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

MISSION:

CREATE A SOFA THAT IS JUST AS COMFORTABLE AS A MODERN SOFA, BUT IS EASIER TO MOVE AND LOOKS UNIQE IN ANY SPACE.

CURRENT SOFA ARCHITECTURE IS OVER 300 YEARS OLD.

WHY HASN’T IT CHANGED?

Like any other “analogue” product, the architecture of the common sofa follows the old “form follows function” rule. In this case, it needs to be a soft resting place for multiple people that is comfortable in a variety of seating positions: Sitting up, slumping, laying down, or even plopping down. 300 years ago, the Chesterfield sofa was pretty much the perfect answer to this comfy multi-seating issue. Looking at it, the design of the common sofa really has not changed much since then. Some innovations have happened like the creation of massage sofas or recliner sofas, but neither of those things actually made moving better. Arguably, they made moving worse. Ask my old room mate about his move!

LET’S LOOK AT THE GUTS…

Most all sofas are built using a wood frame featuring joinery that is covered up by the upholstery, or is fixed in place. This ensures that the sofa can be covered in plush material and maintain form with no disturbing protrusions poking the sitter.
Springs enable the sofa to bear multiple types of loads from multiple angles. If someone were to “plop” into a sofa (or any other type of hard fall), the frame would take the load and risk breaking (or injure the user) had there been no springs to break the fall. Springs also add another level of softness below the cushions.
The cushions are typically made of mixed density foams layered on top of each other. These sit on top of the springs and create that nice, plushy experience you get on a sofa. They also distribute the load of someone across the springs, so no pressure points occur in a single area on the user’s body.

SETTING THE “BENCH” MARK

The problem of a sofa designed for moving was actually solvd in the 60’s by Charles and Rae Eames. The Eames’s sofa, known as the “Eames Compact Sofa”, was created to solve shipping issues most sofas tend to cause. This was done by making the sofa out of a foldable metal frame with exposed hardware, and included springs throughout the cushioning.

However, this being the best answer for moving problems, it became the benchmark for the design of the Skate Deck Sofa. If the Skate Deck Sofa sofa design can sit somewhere between the Eames compact and a modern sofa, then the design could be theoretically successful.

WE WANT OUR GUY IN THIS SPACE.

PENCIL IT OUT.

It’s one thing to assume the values of your target audience, but it’s another thing to experience the same excitement for what they love. To dive deep into the world of off-road racing culture, our team flew to San Diego to experience desert off-roading in Fox’s test mule truck, examine trophy trucks up-close, meet truck builders and drivers, and get the scoop on what makes the culture of desert racing unique. It’s an extreme lifestyle, one that is defined by the love of adrenaline, absurdly wild stories, and a sense of humor that is often times somewhat juvenile. This culture is colorful, loud, and brutally honest in every way possible (in a good way).

FINAL DESIGN

The final design became a tamer version of the “Full On T.T.” concept, smoothing out the faceted surfaces to better match the design language of the Silverado, and then refining the tube steel bumpers to something that better resembles an actual trophy truck’s space frame construction. The front fender vent and the flat-top rear fenders were added to the mix from the “Heritage” concept, creating a less outlandish design that eventually made it to production. Other design team members refined the details of this design, such as the hood vent, front and rear fender vents, chase rack, bumper details, and the light holsters around the headlights.