Swedish design studio Addi has created an alternative to conventional waiting-area furniture – a minimalist log-like perch where users can rest for a moment in lieu of taking a proper seat.
Manufactured by Swedish firm Mizetto, the Lumber seat was developed in response to the increasing amount of time people spend in what Addi calls "active yet anonymous spaces" such as waiting areas in cafes, schools and offices.
The simple seat has a minimal footprint and is designed for places where conventional seating would take up too much room.
It consists of a simple beam upholstered with a removable cover made of flame-resistant wool. Its angled legs evoke the image of a sawhorse, lending the product a distinctive character and inspiring its name.
"One of our goals was to design a piece of furniture with no obvious back or front, with an aesthetic that does not directly tell you how to use it," Addi co-founder Karl-Magnus Lillqvist Sjöberg told Dezeen.
"This lets the user explore the many possible ways to interact with it: hang, perch, linger and loiter without the unnecessary physical strain of sitting down only to get back up again."
Lumber comes in a floor-standing version, which can also be used as a room divider by arranging more than one unit in a line.
Alternatively, the beam can be mounted on a wall so it takes up even less space, while an integrated side table allows users to check their emails or conduct a quick meeting over a coffee.
Lumber is manufactured in Sweden and is designed for easy assembly and disassembly so it can be shipped as a flatpack item.
"We wrestled with the question: how minimal a piece can be, how much can we strip away while keeping the functions to meet the brief and still hold a lot of character," Lillqvist Sjöberg told Dezeen.
"We also wanted to design a playful seating arrangement that feels like a big piece of furniture but comes in a compact packaging, all to save space in transport and storage."
Lumber's various components can be removed to facilitate cleaning and can also be replaced without needing to order an entire new product, thus extending its potential lifespan.
The project has been shortlisted in the workplace design category of the 2023 Dezeen Awards alongside a modular, reconfigurable office chair by Form Us With Love and a collection of furniture made from British-grown ash by Foster + Partners.
The photography is by Jonas Lindstrom.