Design Challenge
A client required custom footrests during a full salon refurbishment. They needed to be raised so the floor could be easily cleaned. The budget was limited at €550. Comfort was the main factor for the client, while the design must be sympathetic to the current chairs in the salon. With the small budget the option of using chrome was not possible. This left stainless steel as the only material that could be used to match the chairs. Stainless steel welding was also very expensive and would not give the required surface finish required. The client did not want to replace these for 10 years so we factored this into the design requiring the product to hold the full weight of a person (60Kg).
Design Solution
To give the longest life cycle possible the best quality steel was used. 316 grade steel withstood the stress of 60kgf being applied within a simulation. The issue of an expensive and weak base-plate (seen in the first failed simulation) was overcome by using injectable adhesive anchoring resin to set the footrest into the concrete. T-pieces were used as connectors to overcome the stainless steel's poor welding quality. Plugs were fitted to the open ends to finished the design. The product was delivered under budget by €84 at €466, with the spare stainless steel being used to hold the shelves.
