Dutch brand Prooff is about progression, about creating products with deeply refined details. They say that often this journey starts by taking silly questions seriously as silliness is often original thinking in disguise. The Ear Chair began with the question: What would happen if a piece of furniture was also a room? The answer: It could become a private space within the most public of areas, a meeting room of infinitely flexible size located almost anywhere.

Designed by Studio Makkink & Bey for Prooff, Studio Makkink & Bey believes in a collaborative approach to product development with experimentation and free-thinking. The Ear Chair was presented in Milan 2009 at SuperStudio in Zona Tortona, designed in 2002 as a bespoke interior for an insurance company and is now in production for public.

The Ear Chairs can be placed in different configurations to create private spaces for groups of various sizes. If you make a chair high enough and round enough, it insulates you acoustically and visually – giving you personal space wherever you are. Add another Ear Chair and suddenly you have a room. In the middle of a crowd, you can chat privately, make a call and talk about things meant for your ears only. Use more Ear Chairs for bigger room within a room, add character to your room or chair by selecting from different types of upholstery.

We’re not sure how comfy these designer chairs are but clever solution for shared office spaces with open plans, the chic office lobby, universities or other public areas.

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