In this PhD project I explore sustainable alternatives to traditional chair-desk setups within interior architecture and furniture design, inspired by the principles of deep ecology and ecosophy. Central to this research is the concept of the "natural human"—one who lives in harmony with nature and, consequently, in balance with themselves. Understanding the natural human is essential for recreating environments that fulfill our innate physical, mental, and spiritual needs in a modern world. This includes stimulating all senses, emotions, and cognitive mechanisms through meaningful interaction with natural elements such as light, temperature, wind, sound, and the changing seasons. In the project I examine how environments can be designed to encourage movement, connection to the earth, and the feeling of being alive in all sensory aspects, fostering orientation, safety, and community. I will also deal with the ergonomic chair paradox. Additionally, this research emphasizes the ethical sourcing of materials—harvesting and gathering in ways that respect the planet’s capacity to renew itself, ensuring sustainability and harmony with nature.
Gulleik Løvskar: I am a PhD fellow specializing in artistic research within interior architecture and furniture design. My journey began as a master cabinetmaker, followed by education in furniture production leadership and hands-on experience in small workshop furniture manufacturing. I later pursued a BA in interior architecture and furniture design.
For 11 years, I worked as a workshop technician and teacher at the Iceland University of the Arts, supervising students in fine arts, product design, and architecture. Alongside teaching, I maintained an independent practice as an interior architect and furniture designer for private homes. In 2020, I completed an MA in Interior Architecture and Furniture Design with the thesis "Do we need chairs?"—an exploration into the necessity and relevance of objects that perpetuate sitting and sedentary culture, which often fails to serve both humans and nature. This work also aimed to question and slow down the culture of overexploitation of the planet's resources.
In 2024, I began my PhD fellowship, continuing this inquiry through the lens of deep ecology and ecosophy, asking: What would alternatives to traditional chair-desk setups look like, and what materials would they be made of, to support and stimulate both nature and the experience of natural human beings?
Furniture, Objects, and Spaces Fostering Nature and the Natural Human
Rewilding Humans
My PhD research explores alternatives to the chair-and-desk paradigm that dominates Western workspaces. Building on reflections on furniture history, the chair, and humannature relations, alongside ecosophical perspectives from Spinoza to Merleau-Ponty and Arne Næss. I argue that moving into a future as part of nature requires a form of human rewilding.
For a period, I now shift from reflection to physical experimentation, asking what happens when conventional furniture is replaced by tatami-inspired floor-based logics. In this presentation I will show a test-furniture mockup and objects such as Virvar/Jumble, exploring how play, process, and material form can reshape everyday practices.
