The idea for the Suzuri Series was originally commissioned by Edward Cella (LA-based art gallery owner) for his booth at Design Miami 2014. The geometry of the Suzuri bench is inspired by that of a traditional Japanese inkstone. Alex Rasmussen (Neal Feay) experimented with different variations of the organic-oval shape while I facilitated loading new parts in the machines and assembled prototypes. The mock-ups of the table and bench seats became increasingly complex, beginning with sheet metal and hollow stock parts and ending with precision machined components.
The cantilever on the bench seat was a challenging design constraint to me as an engineer. After experimenting with different types of ribbing and post design, we decided that sacrificing minor weight increase was necessary to add sufficient support. The current and final design is deceivingly sturdy and supports even a longer cantilever than that of the initial product.
