While many people love kicking back and relaxing into an expansive armchair made of plush material, owning such a thing isn't always practical, and is rarely cheap. Armchairs are generally heavy, (almost) immovable, and designed with just one purpose in mind. LLSTOL is a piece of furniture which goes against this grain, being light, highly portable, and adaptable for a variety of different uses.
LLSTOL started life in a small workshop in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was here that Niko Klansek studied the ergonomics of chairs in an effort to create a simple, elegant piece of furniture that could be easily stored when not in use. After much experimentation with different prototypes, the L-shaped boards that now form the basis for the piece were crafted. A small local chair factory called STOL & STOL agreed to collaborate with Klansek, and LLSTOL was born.
Klansek turned to Kickstarter in order to raise the US$18,000 needed to cover the price of the molds, the materials, and the shipping for the first run of (a minimum) 200 chairs. The campaign ended up raising $21,956, and LLSTOL is now available for anyone to buy.
LLSTOL is designed first and foremost to be a simple lounge chair. The two L-shaped boards that comprise the chair are almost identical, except for the position of the groove and slot in each which enable the two to be pieced together as the owner sees fit. As well as forming a chair, LLSTOL can also be pieced together to form a small coffee table, or, by combining multiple pieces, into distinct-looking shelving units.
Perhaps most importantly, when LLSTOL isn't in use at all, it can be stored much more easily than a traditional chair. As there is no gluing, screwing, or fastening required to build LLSTOL, the whole thing can be broken down and stacked away at a moment's notice. The two L-shaped boards together weigh 9.6 kg (21 lbs), with the height of the chair once constructed being 72 cm (28.3 inches).
LLSTOL is made entirely of laminated molded beech plywood finished with a matte lacquer. Plywood was chosen as it has both high compressive and tensile strengths. There is also the fact that it's a sustainable material; Slovenia comprises around 60 percent forest, so wood is an obvious material for any local designers to work with.
This is a piece designed to be simple, multi-functional, versatile, portable, and practical. It's primarily being aimed at students, young families living in small apartments, and for use in public buildings such as libraries, hotel lobbies, art galleries, and coffee shops
Mentioned in the Kickstarter campaign (video embedded below) was a desire to adapt the design of LLSTOL going forward, with different sizes, colors, veneers, and patterns all being possible. For now, however, there is just one design available, which will set you back €144 ($187). Textile covers are also sold in a range of different designs for €39 ($51) each.
Sources: LLSTOL, Kickstarter
