Viola: On-demand headboard concept for Sustainable Living

Design Context

Bedroom concept for Unikulma

The Viola project was developed for the Young Finnish Design (YFD) competition in collaboration with my Aalto University MA classmate, Roosa Harju. The competition, sponsored by Unikulma, challenged us to create innovative and sustainable bedroom furniture using Sulapac and Hollolan viilu ja laminaatti (HVL) veneer as core materials.

Design Brief and Research Insights

Through our research, we identified a significant gap in Unikulma’s product offering: only 20% of customers opted for headboards when purchasing bedroom furniture. This insight highlighted an opportunity to design a customizable product family that could appeal to both existing customers and younger audiences. Our aim was to address this gap while emphasizing sustainability and user-centric design.

Viola Product Family

The result was a cohesive collection designed to elevate the bedroom experience:

Headboards: Crafted from MDF with HVL veneer and produced using CNC routing, the headboards offer significant customizability, allowing users to personalize designs to suit their style and space. Designed for on-demand production, they empower users to configure the right combination of pieces to fit their space and route the needed fixing holes and grooves for wiring on custom order bases.

Lamps: Made from Sulapac bioplastic combined with waste wood fiber, these lamps bring together elegance and sustainability.

Pillows: Woven from hemp, introducing a renewable, tactile material with a luxurious feel.

Key Features

Customizability: The modular design of the Viola collection enables customers to create unique combinations tailored to their needs.
Sustainability: Each element incorporates eco-friendly materials, and flat-pack & on-demand manufacturing shows a commitment to responsible design and production.
User-centric approach: Viola integrates functionality, aesthetics, and customization to enhance the bedroom space for a diverse range of customers.

Innovative use of sustainable materials in product design for Unikulma.

Reflections

The Viola project allowed us to leverage research-driven insights, material innovation, and thoughtful design to address real-world challenges. It exemplifies my design philosophy: crafting meaningful products that respond to user needs and contribute to a sustainable future.