Heli X Modular Furniture System by Helen Louisa Sauter

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DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?

HLS : The main question for this design was how a huge amount of flexibility can be provided on small space

DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?

HLS : Besides the functional aspects, it was very important to me to create a homelike, friendly look that fits in to spaces to live in and feel comfortable in.

DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?

HLS : It would be great to continue my work on the Heli X system. This way I could exploit all the potential that lays in the concept.

DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?

HLS : It took me two weeks to develop the underlying principle, but to finalize all details and prepare everything for production it took me around three more weeks.

DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?

HLS : Until now, the Heli X Furniture System was only produced once, but I hope to find a company or a producer who is interested in a cooperation.

DI: Who is the target customer for his design?

HLS : It was developed for people that live on small space but want to be flexible and adapt to many different living situations, due to an active and social lifestyle. Especially in cities where housing is getting more and more expensive, solutions like the Heli X furniture system are demanded.

DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?

HLS : Many modular furniture systems have simple, geometrical shapes like cubes or hexagons. This often creates a pretty technical, rather cold appearance that does not seem suitable for a homelike atmosphere. With the Heli X system, you also have a wide range of combinations, but the design seems vivid and friendly.

DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?

HLS : The name Heli X is inspired by the helix shape that the furniture elements create when stacked onto each other.

DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?

HLS : There was a lot of sketching and building small mockups to check the proportions, the exact shapes and measurements. Later on, everything was finalized in the CAD program Rhinoceros 3D.

DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?

HLS : It is the special shape of the elements that enables all the different combinations.