Ben Faehrmann is a designer whose practice is guided by making as a way of thinking. Through iterative prototyping and material experimentation, his work explores emotional relationships between people and objects, particularly where furniture and clothing intersect. His process blurs the boundaries between design, art, and anthropology, using craft as a method of inquiry rather than outcome. Ben’s approach embraces curiosity and reflection as tools for developing meaning through material form.

Ben Faehrmann

 

Aftermade reimagines the domestic relationship people have with furniture. The project explores what happens when a chair adopts human qualities, not only in form but also in how it is dressed and shares identity/experiences with the owner. Chairs are often treated as passive objects, yet they consistently perform acts of service by supporting those who wait and carry memories of those who sit. Aftermade brings this overlooked intimacy to light by merging furniture and clothing into a single design language. The result is an anthropomorphic furniture piece that can be lived with, blurring the emotional and functional boundaries of what a chair can be. The design process was grounded in creating to discover, where prototyping, reflection and failure became essential to the project's evolution. Through iterative tests in upholstery and tailoring, materials were reinterpreted as extensions of the human body rather than coverings of form. Looking beyond material innovation, Aftermade asks viewers to reconsider the pace at which we become emotionally attached/detached with the things we own. Through this relationship, Aftermade suggests that connection, not consumption, is what gives design its enduring life. This project was supported by Joyce Foam Products, whose sustainable foam materials were integral to the chair’s development and final construction.