Melbourne-based furniture designer Tom Hewitt is the creator behind the wonderfully simple O-KI Lounge Chair—a timber and fabric chair with an optional ottoman. A key feature of the chair is the user’s ability to easily remove dowels to replace the sling if required. This targets the largest wearing element of the chair and allows easy separation of the two materials for recycling and re-purposing.

The chair has been considered for sustainability—the fabric and timber are certified as environmentally-friendly and the overall frame weight is dictated by standard board thicknesses. Parts can nest efficiently on boards to minimise wastage.

Hewitt wanted to design a chair that was visually light and elegant, but still maintain the comfort and function of a lounger. Part of the beauty and purity of the design is only having two materials and devoid of any nails or screws.

Tom Hewitt graduated from industrial design and worked in the furniture industry from 2015-2016. He then moved to Rakumba Lighting where he currently works in the design team. He works toward an artistic and minimal aesthetic using his graphic design knowledge to hone in the form yet still accomplishes technical execution through a hands-on approach. Hewitt’s work has drawn attention from the Mercedes-Benz Design Award’s judges, landing him a place among the three finalists.