Cove

Junghyun Shin of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is the winner of the 8th annual 2026 HD/West Elm Student Product Design Competition for designing the "Cove" lounge chair.

Cove is a lounge chair designed to feel elegant, calm, and inviting. Developed for the West Elm Student Product Design Competition, the project explores how softness and structure can be brought into balance through a clear, resolved form. Two continuous walnut side frames shape the chair’s silhouette, while the cupped seat-and-back surface begins flush with the front legs and rises in one uninterrupted gesture into the headrest. This continuity gives the chair an enveloping sense of comfort, softened further by the upholstered interior and grounded by the sculpted warmth of the wood frame. The result is a chair that feels both refined and deeply comfortable, suited to relaxed living environments.