chair-x has been ergonomically designed for children between the ages of three and eight years old and has been brought to market to fill the shortfall of specifically sized adaptable furniture for children.

Construction

The chair body is produced from birch plywood panels with a protective coating, these surfaces are easily cleaned and durable.

chair-x is designed for child comfort with the high quality cushions and fabrics being both luxurious and durable.

The cushions are removable, and the fabric covers can then be removed to allow cleaning.

Spot cleaning is also possible with the cushions in place on the chair.

The round holes in the side of the chair are used to lift and rotate the product, the centre of gravity of the chair is such that when the chair is lifted via the holes in chair form, the chair rotates into desk form.

To allow easy fitment of the stool into the chair body guidance slots and magnets are used to ensure a smooth operation and secure location.

The blackboard has a surface for drawing with chalk and is also metallic to allowmagnetic numbers and letters to be placed, it features small shelf where chalk can be placed. An existing drawing can be printed out and pinned to the board using a magnet, the child can then copy the drawing using the board and chalk. The board is easily cleaned with a wet cloth.

When using the blackboard the child can either sit on the stool or stand, the approach depends on the height and preference of the child.

Safety

Safety on any product children will use is important and covered by international standards. chair-x is ce-marked and has been risk assessed.

chair-x is only to be reconfigured by adults, not by children.

The blackboard features a safety lock which requires a two-handed operation to deploy or retract the board from the chair body.

The product uses a series of contact points with the floor in it’s 3 different configurations. When configuring the product care should be taken to gently rotate and move the product to prevent damage to flooring.

Accelerating to Net zero with the Circular Economy

As you may be aware ‘Net Zero’ equates to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions we put into the atmosphere versus the amount we are able to take out, of which the target is zero (or below). A target date has been set for the UK to meet net zero by the year 2050. To achieve this there are many steps business will be required to take to help achieve this goal. At this moment in time there is no legal requirement for businesses to make changes to work towards net zero however we are actively making changes now.

The primary step which we are taking is by producing products which can be used in a circular economy, this is defined below

• Products should be designed to be long lasting. ‘Planned obsolescence’ or poor design which results in products failing prematurely creates waste and requires new products to be created.
• Products should be designed to be easily repairable by their user, through an easy-to use and fair priced repairing service provided by the manufacturer. This will reduce the temptation for the user to replace a faulty product with a new one and avoid the carbon impact of disposal and creating a new product.
• Remanufacturing is a particularly effective circular economy model with major carbon savings. By remanufacturing chair upholstery, costs can be reduced and the carbon footprint of items reduced by around 60%.
• In a perfect circular economy model, there would not be an end-of-life stage in the product lifecycle, all products would instead be continuously reused or re-purposed.

This is the ethos that we have for the chair-x products, we expect that once a household has finished in its use of our product, the product can be either:

• Sold on
• Gifted to friends
• Donated to schools at home or in third world economies
• Handed down through generations of families.

If there is wear and tear on the upholstery of the chairs following many years of use, then replacement cushions or cushion covers can be provided. If there is a change in colour preference (boy vs girl) then cushion covers in a different colour can simply be provided at relatively low cost.

If any part gets damaged we can supply a replacement part along with full instructions on how to perform the replacement.

With it is timeless design and robust build quality chair-x is perfectly suited for a “circular economy” product lifespan. Only products which have been designed and constructed in a particular way can fit into a circular economy of use.

Based on the principles of a circular economy, our aim is to keep the goods that we produce in use rather than a “use for a short-term and then dispose” approach. This is a completely different approach from what you will find from mainstream mass producers of children’s furniture where the products are produced in low quality with a cost driven approach. These products are single use products and usually end up in land fill after only a few short years of use servicing a single user.

Some steps we will be taking in the future, both in the short and the longer term are as follows:

• Using fully recycled packaging
• Fabrics and foam padding made from 100% recycled materials
• Structural panels such as the desktop made from recycled plastics
• The ability for us to buy back your product once your requirement of use for the product is completed, we will then re-purpose the product for other users.

Note: Currently all timber used on the chair-x products is ethically sourced and complies with EU Timber Regulations

Product Ethos

chair-x boasts a lower environmental footprint, with fewer materials needed to provide the three solutions when packaged into one product.

The bright upholstery complements its clean and contemporary lines to appeal to children’s curiosity and engagement.

The chair-x, created by Scottish design firm Technik Design, combines innovative design with quality materials to create the perfect multi-purpose piece of children’s furniture.

Designer Nick Wilson said: “We believe chair-x will be cherished in households and passed through different generations of families, with its timeless design and robust build quality.”

“The feedback from the test users has been really positive with parents very happy with the product build quality and adaptability of use.”