GARDENFURNITURE FOR THE EVERYDAY FAMILY LIFE
VISION
It's time to put the KETTLER brand promise into practice.
Kettler’s brand promise highlights lively garden furniture for the whole family. While the current collection leans toward more monochrome, classic designs, this project set out to complement the range with a vibrant, family-oriented piece — a couch designed to find its place in everyday family life.
TASK
Development of a garden lounge for everyday family life.
MARKET RESEARCH
The project began with extensive market research, with a special focus on family friendliness and children's use of garden furniture. Current market leaders were analyzed and compared. It quickly became clear that there was a wide range of brands available and that there was a clear difference between low-cost and higher-end products.
ACTION ANALYSES
A number of Kettler products were scrutinized and put to the test. I focused in particular on stability, safety against tipping over, the risk of injury to the products and their possible use as playground equipment. Major problem areas became apparent when it came to safety when used by small children. This revealed great potential and opportunities for improvement.
CONCEPT PHASE
After collecting a lot of potentials, I decided to work on 20 of these potentials and developed many concept sketches, focusing on child safety and, above all, on the modularity of the garden lounge, in order to be able to adapt it to the current conditions of everyday family life.
CONCEPT SKETCHES
VISUALISATION OF THE CONCEPT IDEAS
The concepts were visualized in sketches, compared in the morphological box, and a selection was made, resulting in three different consolidated concepts.
MAIN GOALS
Modularity
EASY CUSTOMIZATION
Safety
CHILD SAFETY
Intuitivity
INTUITIVE
USE
Comfort
MAXIMUM COMFORT
CONCEPTS
Three concepts that focus on different areas of use
THE MODULAR
In addition to the main requirements of child safety and family use, this concept focuses on maximum adaptability to current conditions. An intuitive plug-in system ensures maximum modularity, so the couch can be extended or add-ons can be attached in no time at all.
THE MINIMALIST
​This concept focuses on ease of use and intuitiveness. Despite having a minimum number of components, the backrest can be used in three different positions thanks to its special architecture, offering maximum customization and comfort despite its minimalist design.
THE PLAYFULL
The concept is playful. An intuitive and very simple plug-in system encourages transformation and experimentation while providing maximum stability. With various add-ons, this couch can be transformed into a playscape for children, encouraging them to become master builders themselves.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Tons of variations to evolve the design.
Once I had decided on the modular concept, the next step was to develop a frame that would guarantee maximum tilt stability, the ability to attach modular parts, and safety in use.
PRODUCT FEATURES
The garden furniture solution for the whole family.
CONNECTOR SYSTEM
The intuitiveconnector system makes it easy to reconfigure the lounger, with numerous options for combining the different modules. It also offers options for external add-ons such as loungers, parasols or side tables.
FEW MODULES FOR MAXIMUM MODULARITY
Despite the small number of modules, the couch offers maximum modularity thanks to the simplicity of the plug-in system, and multiple options for assembling it.
CONVERSION IS CHILD`S PLAY
Kids become the builders and can easily install and redesign any part. The special feature is the symmetrical design, so all parts can be used equally on both sides.
IN USE
An eye-catching couch with multiple uses
IN THE LIVINGROOM
Thanks to the wide range of covers and colors available, the couch can be integrated into any living room, becoming an eye-catcher thanks to the perfect balance between simplicity and elegance.
ON THE BALCONY
This garden couch can also be placed on the balcony, as it can be easily and individually adapted to the size of the balcony and the current usage scenario.
IN THE GARDEN
And of course, the couch is the perfect companion in the garden, not only as a place to relax and retreat, but also for game nights, garden parties, or stargazing under the open sky.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
The concept is being brought to life.
SPOGA+GAFA
After two years of development and production refinements, the final couch was presented in June 2025 at Spoga+Gafa, the world’s largest garden trade fair.
THE CONCEPT IN REALITY
It was an overwhelming feeling to finally see my own sketches and CAD models brought to life in full scale. Sitting on the couch for the first time allowed me to personally experience the seating ergonomics and modularity that had previously only existed in theory.
PRECISE REALIZATION
Naturally, some aspects of the concept had to be optimized and adapted due to production requirements. Nevertheless, it is great to see how closely the final product reflects the original concept and how dedicated Kettler was to ensuring an accurate realization.
MATERIAL SELECTION
For the outdoor material, bouclé was chosen. It offers an elegant appearance while being both weather and stain resistant, which makes it perfectly suited for everyday family use where spills and messes are inevitable.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This project was a truly special experience for a young designer like me.
This was made possible thanks to Kettler’s openness to ideas from us students. They provided the right environment and support to develop our concepts in a realistic way and put great effort into ensuring a particularly faithful realization. Thank you for this invaluable opportunity!
