One of the winners of the 2008 One Good Chair Competition, the Pandanus Lounge Chair is practical, colorful, eco-friendly, and ergonomic. This is all thanks to young designer Jessica Konawicz, who is currently a graduate student in Industrial Design at North Carolina State University.

Pandanus Lounge Chair. Designed by Jessica Konawicz.

Inspired by the Pandanus tree (Konawicz traced its leaves and fruit as a basis and study for the chair’s form), Konawicz’s lounge chair earns its title: “an earth friendly chair inspired by and made from plants.” Not only does the chair “reflect the beauty of the Pandanus Tree’s spiraling leaves and colorful pod-like fruit,” but also it is made from cellulose-based plastic, a commercial and clean process that uses only water, natural additives, and plant fibers; it sounds almost too good to be true, I know.

If 100% biodegradable and 100% toxic-free isn’t incentive enough, the Pandanus Lounge Chair conforms to the curves of the average body at rest. Konawicz consulted Measure of Man by Alvin Tilley and Henry Dreyfuss Associates in order to accommodate the body properly: the chair’s hip breadth accords with 90 percent of women; its lumbar height fits 90 percent of men and women; and its 110% angle pleases most. For those who are still not believers, the Pandanus Lounge Chair stacks, making it an ideal option for extra seating-for the home at dinner parties or as outdoor furniture; and for commercial ventures as street seating for bistros and coffee shops. But you cannot fall asleep in the Pandanus. Konawicz explains that her chair is intended for “active relaxing”-activities such as “reading, listening to music, or having coffee with friends.”

The Pandanus Lounge Chair fulfills all of Konawicz’s goals: it is “unique and beautiful”; it is made from a renewable and biodegradable material; and it conserves energy in its manufacture and transport (stackable and lightweight, you’ll recall). The Pandanus comes in a myriad of colors too-as many colors as the chair has assets.