Communal working space with
flexible privacy for focus.
Role: Designer / Product Developer
Scope: interaction redesign, mechanism simplification, prototyping, hardware detailing, and production development
Methods: CAD development, prototyping, hardware research, and production detailing
Courtesy of Milder Furniture
Refined existing design
Built from an existing Milder concept developed for an MIT library project, this redesign focused on where the original interaction worked and where it could be simplified.
Identified the moving work surface as a key part of how users experienced the furniture. The previous version used a metal latch to suspend the surface after it was lifted into position. The latch functioned, but added cost, visual clutter, and an obvious stress point. The worktop also required a gas spring to assist in lifting the heavy assembly.
The redesign replaced that approach with two gas springs, one on each side, and added a fixed secondary surface so the user was not working on a floating plane.
Added a small oil-filled damper to catch the unit during the last few inches of closing. Tested several damper positions to find the right feeling action without conflicting with the other hardware. Made a small drilling jig for that hole instead of adding machine edge-boring, which would have been more expensive and more limited in placement. Drill bushings kept the jig repeatable and helped prevent blowout on the side panels.
Milder Furniture later patented this mechanical system.
Single Carrel
Reduced the design from several pieces of custom hardware to a more straightforward assembly using off-the-shelf components.
Added a small bullnose detail to the front edge to clarify the intended interaction, borrowing from the familiar gesture of opening a laptop.
Courtesy of Milder Furniture
Courtesy of Milder Furniture
Double Carrel
Adjusted the gas spring machining to allow for through-bolts, resolving hardware conflicts when the system was mirrored for a double-sided carrel.
Designed small spacing pipes to connect multiple units without creating alignment conflicting adjacent surfaces. A central trough between allowed for cable routing.
