In this day and age technology is a major factor in our lives and the growth of entertainment platforms such as Netflix offers an alternative to the standard Foxtel or Telstra TV services. As technology has evolved in terms of specifications and resolutions the design of the screen changes curved and flat but colour stays constant a bold dark black that often draws attention to it and the entertainment units like the PlayStation and DVD player also appear in black drawing attention to them and becoming the dominant objects in the room. Furniture options although often stunning and interesting don’t seem to address this issue. The client, Robyn McCutchan believes this is because the design and aesthetic of a TV cabinet can be lost to the dominating black of the entertainment units, but when a product does address this issue it looks out of place in the room it is in. Robyn has asked for a unit for her lounge room that hides all the entertainment equipment whilst blending into its environment, by either blending into the wall or using similar colours and shapes from existing furniture and artworks in the lounge room. Although she would like the unit to emphasis external form over colour and consisting of sculptural qualities. She would also like the product to consist of sustainable materials. For this aesthetic to be achieved research into her listed artists and designers, her existing furniture and art in the living room and sustainable material research needs to be completed to create a starting point for designing.
The Client
The Client described the house as consisting of predominantly white walls and wooden furniture. Floors are made up of wide Huon pine boards in most areas with the kitchen area in Tasmanian Oak and with high traffic flow areas in polished concrete. The client prefers the modernist style, as she likes the clean lines and the design elements. She prefers the external form over colour. “We prefer the modernist style. It is simple, with clean lines and a celebration of the design elements and principles,” indicated Robyn during the kick-off interview.
She made particular reference to the sculptural qualities of Kurt Schwitter’s Merzbau, Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye, Volker Stabb’s Neue Galerie, Isamu Noguchi’s Prismatic Table in white and Arne Jacobsen’s Nordic designs. Along with more recent works from companies like Poliform, Henge, Presotto and De Castelli.
She showed a number of photos she and Adrian had taken on their last trip to Spain of vaulted ceilings which she described as having “elegance and balance”. An interior space like a living room should create a sense of calm and tranquility; the TV unit should be in harmony with the other elements not compete with them” she requested.
The client dislikes the look of TVs and entertainment equipment as they are most often black and quickly become the focus of the room. Her concern is that they draw attention away from the art on display. “If you choose to watch TV, then it is a choice not the object you need to see.” Therefore, the furniture unit needs to conceal the entertainment equipment and hide or integrate the TV set. It needs to appear to blend into the walls of the room or could act as a room divide, but it is essential that it works with the existing furniture (colours and textures) in the room. “But as you will see I love white,” she was quick to add.
Finally, the piece needs to be made using sustainable materials and with sensitivity to the environment in how it is constructed.
