There’s nothing quite as comfortable as wearing a sweater knit by a grandparent, right? That’s why Nike started using digital knitting machines to create its colourful Flyknit sneakers back in 2012, and why IKEA has now adopted the same technology to create a pair of chairs designed to pamper your posterior.
The PS 2017 Armchair, part of IKEA’s PS (Post Scriptum) experimental collection that’s updated every three years, was designed by Sarah Fager and has a semi-transparent appearance as a result of the complex knit that makes up the chair’s mesh sides and back. Not only does it help the chair breath and stay cooler when sitting in it for a long time, it also ends up being lightweight, even with its supporting powder-coated steel frame.
The PS 2017 Armchair will be available in grey-on-grey or pink-on-black colour options for around $US150 ($205), which isn’t cheap given how simplistic its design is. But as the computer-controlled knitting machines that make these pieces possible becomes more prevalent in manufacturing facilities, shoes, chairs, and clothing will be easier to produce, and should eventually drop in price.