Lothar Windels’ work focuses on furniture and product design ranging from mass-produced to one-of-a-kind pieces. Born in Germany, he earned a BID from RISD and a Master’s in Design Products from the Royal College of Art in London. He runs a studio in Boston and teaches in RISD’s Furniture Design department.
Windels’ projects include the Joseph Felt Chair, which has been featured in exhibitions in Berlin, Boston, London, Milan, Munich, Tokyo and Zurich. His work has appeared in several books and magazines, including Abitare, Design Report, Frame, Elle Decoration, ID Magazine, Interni, MD Moebel Interior Design, Metropolis, Newsweek and The World of Interiors. His recent research focuses on active seating, a design approach that provides a better overall sitting experience by dynamically supporting the human body in motion. The Canadian office furniture manufacture Nienkämper produces his Brackett Chair, which has won a Design Journal Platinum Award for Design Excellence. His other clients include Converse, Inflate, Swarovski, Umbra and the Vitra Design Museum.
Academic areas of interest
Material Research: Low-tech, hands-on investigation to discover innovative design solutions.
Design for Production: Utilizing contemporary materials and processes to achieve simplicity that supports human interactions.
Ergonomic Seating: Dynamic support of the human body to create a better work environment that fosters well-being
The junior studio expands and interprets the skills and concepts introduced in the sophomore studios. The primary focus of the semester is an experimentally based investigation of bending and forming techniques - molded plywood, bent lamination, steam bending, and vacuum-formed plastic. While focused on the use of wood and plastic materials, an experimental approach is expected in the studio. Students are encouraged to conceptually explore skills and materials to develop a personal design approach and studio practice. The semester culminates in a final design, in which students utilize learned techniques to create one-offs, objects intended for batch production or prototypes designed for production.
