Cory Micah Olsen
Furniture
Ch(ai)r No. 1
This piece represents an exercise in utilizing the Midjourney artificial intelligence algorithm as a design collaborator for furniture design. Designers are eagerly speculating on the impacts AI will have on design and process, and this piece bridges from possibility to realization. The second image in this sequence is the original image generated from Midjourney's text to image prompt, where I asked the software to interpret "Sol Lewitt designs a chair".
As co-designer my role then became rationalizing the image into a functional piece of furniture through scale and joinery. The piece features Ash in a 1" thickness throughout and joinery includes bridles, a full lap at the backrest, and a variation of a Maloof joint to integrate the seat into the legs.
Ch(ai)r No. 2
Continuing the collaboration with MidJourney AI, ch(ai)r 2 prompted for "a chair designed by Ellsworth Kelly". The spare geometry and bold bright colors make for a convincing translation of form and inspiration.
The design from MJ (fourth image) was simplified by making the piece entirely in plywood, and structurally the form was reinforced with two base stretchers which allowed the introduction of purple into the color scheme. The playfulness and colors of the piece led me to develop this as a piece designed for a child, with a seat height of 9".
Ch(ai)r No. 3
Chair No. 3 requested a wooden chair inspired by the game Connect Four, again using MidJourney as an AI collaborator.
The chair consists of a solid Hickory frame, with plywood insets and CNC milled MDF perforated panels. Each individual disc is repositionable to allow for a playful reconfiguration of the colors and patterns, harkening back to the Connect Four inspiration.
Ch(ai)r No. 4
Chair No. 4 combined stylistic influences from two sources- Gerrit Rietveld and Yayoi Kusama.
The resulting AI image conveys the straightforward logic of Rietveld and the De Stijl movement, while the playful colorful dots invoke Kusama's signature. The chair is constructed of solid Birch with two different oil finishes to achieve the white and yellow tones suggested by the AI image.
Tree Rock Robot table
Expanding the form factor of the Tree Rock Robot tray series, this side table still features an individually selected stone as a focal point. Taking cues from Danish midcentury design, the table top has a thin continuous lip defining its border which is replicated in the stone cradle. As a playful twist, the four legs extend up past the base stretchers while the tray pulls back to make an offset reveal.
Projected Bench
UT Austin Interior Design thesis project: an exploration into the integration of multiple digital fabrication methods into a single final outcome. The bench incorporates CNC routing, laser cutting, 3D printing and CNC wire bending.
The piece and process were additionally an inquiry into the visual expression or suppression of the utilized technology- the components comprising the bench top are recognizable as a Grasshopper informed script. The base was welded with the utilization of a CNC routed and 3D printed jig assembly. As the jig is absent from the final piece the method of how it was fabricated becomes less clear and the typical visual aesthetics of CNC routing dissolve from the final expression.
Squall Stool
Small stool constructed from reclaimed CLT panels, laminated and milled to final form using a KUKA robotic arm with a router spindle. The form is a parametric loft that can be modified into a family of serial difference, each unique. The loft results in a soft drape, reminiscent of flowing fabric.
The stools are mounted on recessed casters resulting in a half inch shadow reveal, enabling the heavy mass of the object to move gracefully as the draping suggests.
Designed with UO Professor Linda Zimmer as part of a research grant through OSU's Tallwood Design Institute and the USDA. See more of our designs in the Mass Timber tab above.
Twist Table
A parametrically designed table that twists on itself as determined by a grasshopper slider. The leg elements are made with CNC routed profiles then mitered and drilled with the use of custom made jigs that correlate to the amount of twist. The top is a piece of laser cut acrylic sitting flush within a floating frame.
Bench in the Round
Developed as a public seating piece for the Venice Biennale, this piece will be featured in the European Cultural Centre's Giardini della Marinaressa. The bench is designed to be "flatpack" for ease of shipping and site assembly. The bench construction is solid Eastern White Ash, finished in a Rubio Monocoat exterior hybrid oil finish. The piece combines fabrication methods of CNC routing, waterjet cutting, and traditional handcraft. At the center of the bench, the Italian Euro depicting da Vinci's Vitruvian man is a small nod to the initial exhibition of this piece.
Analog Cabinet V2
Solid Ash construction with integrated directional Hafele LED cabinet lighting. Horizontal elements cut with a 3-axis CNC before manual profiling. Bookmatched, lapped back slats provide a subtle grain texture symmetry. Top shape provides for a convenient cord drop while allowing the piece to sit close to a wall.
Whiskey Cabinet
Solid White Oak body with box joint construction, custom integrated interior LED lighting, flat polished Starphire glass shelf, matte white glass top and custom turned tapered legs.
Elroy Table
Solid White Oak body with box joint construction, 'secret' drawer on one side with open storage on opposite, matte white glass top and custom turned tapered legs.
Window Planter
Solid Ash and Walnut construction with glazed terra cotta planters designed to sit within the depth of a window jamb. The open top section features beveled supports to cradle the individual pots. Below, two half blind dovetail drawers provide tailored storage for incense boxes, a flip lighter, and a burning box that diffuses up through the Ash enclosure. The Ash frame features hand cut dovetails and dado shelf supports.
Analog Cabinet
A custom piece conceived to house speakers, receiver, turntable and vinyl storage all within a single unit. Primary materials are Baltic Birch plywood, steel and acrylic.
The exterior of the piece consists of a continuous grain wrap accomplished through the use of lock miter corners. While in use, the open lid incorporates a thin steel shelf to display the sleeve of the playing record. A soft close stay allows the lid to close silently, serving as a dustcover while not in use.
Sapele Stool
Solid wood frame with woven paracord seat featuring a Danish cord technique.
Stool legs feature a slight taper on the two interior faces. Grains are coordinated on all sides to display the notable Sapele ribboning.
Bent Ply Chaise
In essence, the simplest expression of a lounge chair. A single material and single line, contoured to hold the body.
Bent ply construction allows for a minimal thickness while maximizing sectional strength. Process involved creating a foam formwork to define the form while a vacuum bag held the individual layers tightly compressed.
Precedents that influenced the design included Poul Kjaerholm's PK24 Lounge, Claus Grabe's C5, and Jens Risom's quintessential lounge.
E.1027 Drafting Table
As part of a research seminar led by Professor Wilfried Wang at the University of Texas at Austin, the individual bedroom furniture pieces of Eileen Gray's seminal E.1027 house were rigorously researched. Her drafting table, a custom piece for the house, was located in the master bedroom and has long since been lost to time. Building off research by Professor Wang and my peer Olakunle Oni I worked to digitally recreate the piece for accurate renderings and eventually to serve as references for fabrication. With my woodworking background, I recreated the unique waterfall top using a bent-ply lamination formed over a CNC-routed formwork. The drafting surface additionally features a unique telescoping drawing surface that required speculation about its operation and hardware.
Eames Stool Hybrids
The Eames Walnut stools, developed from Ray's sculptural background, are icons of process, form, and function. The originals consist of three unique profiles and are created by skilled wood turners using lathes.
These concept stools form a series where two profiles are combined in each stool, either in a quarter rotation relationship or a half rotation. In the half rotation designs, the original profiles are visible in silhouette when viewed from four sides but will transform as you change your vantage point. Unable to be made with a traditional lathe, these new hybrids can be produced using either a CNC lathe or a multi-axis CNC.