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Furniture is commonly perceived according to its functional role as a work surface, storage vessel, and architectural device designed to support the physical needs of the body in navigating everyday tasks. In the case of disasters such as seismic events, however, furniture invites alternative roles. For instance, we are instructed to "duck, cover, and hold" beneath a table in order to avoid injury from falling debris, and thus, in this context, a table undergoes an instantaneous transformation into a shelter. In the case of distressing events such as earthquakes, while our physical needs are considered, our psychological needs are seemingly ignored. This article presents a case study of speculative furniture designs that expand upon and challenge the traditional role of furniture by prioritizing the mitigation of anxiety over physical functionality. In an aim to promote psychological resilience around the anticipatory and residual stress that we encounter in our everyday lives, these designs apply empathy, humor, and play to elicit positive emotional responses. By capitalizing on the unique sensory-rich interactions afforded by furniture, this research proposes an unconventional yet valuable strategy in fostering meaningful, object-centered relationships.

In this role, she leads the Critical Resilience Design Research Innovation Lab and teaches within the Design for Social Innovation programme. Her research interests include investigating the role of design in mitigating psychological trauma as it relates to natural and man-made disasters.

As our environment grows increasingly unstable and our awareness of a new breed of natural disasters weighs heavily on our collective consciousness, the anxiety resulting from our vulnerability within the changing world has been elevated. While design works towards adapting to our contemporary ecological challenges, alternative approaches that prioritize not only the systems and material considerations relevant to sustainability but the needs of our psychological condition must be considered. Such an approach, therefore, must expand the application of emotional design in fostering desire, love, attachment, and functionality, in the promotion of mental and emotional wellbeing. This paper investigates these ideas through a case study involving the development of speculative furniture designs. The artifacts proposed employ empathy, humor, creativity, and play in an aim to foster resilience around seismic events, and offers a timely precedent in support of sustainable design practice through the development of meaningful and durable design relationships.

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