The VALO lounge chair from the Finnish furniture brand Made by Choice combines two worlds: relaxation and office work. Created in collaboration with VALO Hotel & Work, located in Helsinki, the wooden lounge chair provides a setting for efficient work as well as a spot for having a rest.
THE WORK-FROM-HOME ERA caused by the pandemic has in many places shifted to a hybrid model of working where workdays are divided between the office, the home, and even option C – which might be, say, a leisure home or a hotel room in another town or country. These changes in working environments have caused changes also in decorating both the home and public spaces and resulted in new, innovative solutions that are based on multifunctionality.
One of these solutions is Made by Choice's VALO lounge chair, which is perfect for taking a moment to read a book or watch TV, but also for working on your laptop.
Made for a purpose
The VALO lounge chair was originally designed for the VALO Hotel & Work, a hybrid hotel in Helsinki, which was opened in 2020. The concept is based on the idea of offering both hotel accommodation and teleworking and coworking facilities – at night, the facilities function as a hotel, and during the day, they transform into offices. Thanks to the innovative model, the facilities can be used as efficiently as possible and they are never empty.
Since VALO Hotel & Work's premises have been designed for dual use from the very beginning, both uses have had to be taken into account in the interior design: the tables, chairs, and stools in the rooms are chosen so that they serve both the hotel guests as well as the office workers. In the case of the VALO lounge chair, hybrid use has been considered from the very beginning of the design process.
“On the one hand, the chair had to meet the ergonomic requirements of working and, on the other, be comfy enough for relaxing in a hotel room. The chair also had to suit both situations in terms of appearance,” says Sebastian Jansson, one of the founders of Made by Choice.
“The structure of the chair was designed so that its seat height and angle could be easily varied depending on the dimensions of the legs. This is how we found the perfect sizing for the diverse needs of the VALO Hotel & Work concept.”
The wooden lounge chair was originally designed specifically for the hotel rooms, but its considered design allows for a wide range of uses – you can also have a seat and relax on it in the hotel's wellness area.
Design with a smile
The designs of Made by Choice are characterized by joy and a certain twinkle in the eye; think of pieces like the Kolho chair designed by Matthew Day Jackson or the Beebee boxes by Hanna Anonen, for example. The same kind of cheerfulness is evident in VALO but at the same time, it is very minimalist and clean-lined in the spirit of Finnish design classics.
“In the VALO chair, our design philosophy is reflected in the sympathetic design language, but also in the ecological material,” Jansson points out. “Wood is a renewable raw material that acts as a long-time carbon sink. In addition, the material has been found to make people feel good and well.”
In addition to all the above-mentioned features, functionality is also an integral part of the brand's design philosophy. It has been essential in the design of the VALO lounge chair, as well.
“For us at Made by Choice, product development is always based on an actual need and practicality. We believe that the solutions we have designed for public space projects like VALO also meet the diverse needs of private homes. VALO's clear design language and thoughtful sizing make it a current, yet timeless piece of furniture that is sure to be used for years to come.”
See also:
• VALO lounge chair at Finnish Design Shop >
• All products by Made by Choice >
Text: Emmi Ratilainen Images: Made by Choice