Simone Giertz’s Laundry Chair Solves Your “Not Quite Clean” Clothes
▼ Summary
– Simone Giertz invented the Laundry Chair to solve the common problem of clothes being left on a chair instead of in a hamper.
– The chair functions as both a seat and a storage unit, with a rotating armrest rail to hang and hide clothes.
– Giertz has launched the Laundry Chair as a real product via a Kickstarter campaign, with a starting price of $1,100.
– The chair features a hardwood frame, corduroy upholstery, and a ball-bearing mechanism for smooth rotation of the clothes rail.
– This project represents a shift in Giertz’s work from humorous “shitty robots” to creating practical and useful inventions.
We’ve all faced the daily dilemma of the “not quite clean” clothes. That shirt worn for a few hours or those jeans that could last another day don’t belong in the hamper, yet they end up draped over a bedroom chair, creating a perpetual, messy pile. Inventor and YouTube creator Simone Giertz has channeled this universal frustration into a clever piece of furniture designed to solve the problem elegantly. Her Laundry Chair is a dual-purpose piece that functions as both a comfortable seat and a dedicated storage system for those in-between garments.
Giertz describes the project as stemming from a personal reluctance to change habits. She couldn’t believe a product addressing this specific issue didn’t already exist. What began as a DIY build featured in a video over a year ago has now evolved into a commercial product. Initially launched through a Kickstarter campaign, the project met its funding goal almost immediately. Giertz notes that production was always the plan, regardless of the campaign’s outcome. The chair is priced starting at $1,100, with special discounts and perks offered to early backers.
The design is both simple and ingenious. At first glance, it appears to be a stylish armchair with a solid hardwood frame and soft corduroy cotton upholstery. The key innovation lies in the armrests. Each side features a rotatable semicircular rail mounted on a smooth ball-bearing mechanism, similar to a lazy Susan. When you have clothes to store, you simply spin the rail to the front and drape items over it as you would on a drying rack. To conceal the laundry and free up the seat, you rotate the rail back around. The clothes tuck neatly behind the chair, instantly tidying the room. This seamless transformation means the chair always looks presentable, whether it’s holding a week’s worth of “wear-again” clothes or serving as a clean seat for guests.
Giertz built her reputation on whimsical and inventive creations, from a notoriously messy soup-flinging robot to converting a Tesla into a pickup truck. In recent years, her focus has shifted from what she famously called “shitty robots” toward designing genuinely useful and well-crafted products. This evolution includes items like a practical screwdriver ring and a deliberately frustrating all-white puzzle. The Laundry Chair fits squarely into this new phase of her work, it’s a thoughtful solution to a common, everyday annoyance, proving that good design can indeed change behavior, or at least make our existing habits look a lot better.
(Source: Wired)
