Bouncer

Designer: Gunnar Eidsvik Tvedt

Master of Arts in Industrial Design, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) 

A balanced life

Children’s furniture is a balancing act between form and function. Function is almost always prioritised, resulting in a tremendous number of bulky plastic chairs in Norwegian homes around the country that are immediately converted into trash once junior is old enough to sit in a regular chair. That is why the bouncer from Gunnar Eidsvik Tvedt is a breath of fresh air, an ingenious combination of both.

Panel remarks

We consider this submission the consummate work of design in which the candidate has succeeded in achieving its goal to recreate the bouncy chair as a piece of design furniture that satisfies both adults and children. Emphasising both aesthetic and material qualities gives the chair a long service life and encourages reuse by selling or passing it on to others. The chair is also constructed with few components, making production effective in terms of both cost and time. 

The bouncer is the result of a partnership with the well-known company Stokke and we are impressed by how far this student progressed in the development of a product with commercial potential. The panel would also like to praise the process with significant user involvement, prototyping and testing - among parents and children alike - and it will be exciting to see whether this bouncer will become a Norwegian success story in the international market.