Hello everyone, I am Vivi, the founder of Meetwarm.
To be honest, after making furniture for so many years, my gaze has always been fixed on the sunshine in the yard and the starry sky on the terrace. Until a while ago, when I was picking out a phone for my mother, I suddenly discovered a rather heart wrenching detail – elders are always extremely restrained and afraid of causing trouble for their children when expressing their needs. My mother joked that the screen should be big and the sound should be loud, because ‘my eyes and ears are useless’.
At that moment, I suddenly turned my head and glanced at my dad sitting on the sofa in the living room.
He was rubbing his stiff waist with his hands, nestled in the beautiful yet stiff Nordic style sofa, feeling cramped no matter how he sat. Seeing me looking at him, he quickly put down his hand and straightened his waist as if nothing had happened.
We children who work hard outside always think that buying some high-end nutritional supplements for our parents and giving red envelopes during holidays is filial piety. But we often overlook that as we grow older, our parents’ bodies experience a hidden ‘degenerative’ soreness every day. Their bones are no longer straight, their muscles are starting to lose, ordinary hardwood chairs hurt their coccyx after sitting for a long time, and too soft fabric sofas sink in and cannot stand up at all.
That night, I had insomnia. I think that since Meetwarm can build a warm social space for the whole family in the backyard, why can’t we make a genuine leather massage chair for our parents who have worked hard all their lives in the corner of the living room or in front of the sunny french window?
So, the leather functional massage chair specially designed for the elderly, as shown in the picture, came into being.
Inspiration story: That afternoon when I couldn’t get up in the sunshine
The original intention of this chair originated from a somewhat embarrassing real experience of my father.
One afternoon last autumn, my dad was sitting on an old rattan chair by the living room window sunbathing. The warm sunshine gave him a comfortable nap. But when he woke up and was about to go to the kitchen to pour water, his waist muscles became stiff and stiff due to being stuck in the rattan chair for too long. In addition, the elderly had weak legs and feet, and he tried several times in a row, but couldn’t stand up on his own.
I saw it nearby and quickly rushed over to help him. In that moment, I held my father’s thin and trembling arm, feeling a needle prick in my heart. The old man was determined to be strong all his life, and at that moment, a hint of helplessness and frustration about his own “aging” flashed in his eyes.
After returning to the studio, I overturned all the outdoor furniture drawings in my hand. I told the design team, “We need to design a chair that not only massages and relaxes, but also provides support when parents sit down, and gently ‘pushes’ them when they want to stand up
Rejecting academic jargon: How did we make this chair “understand people’s hearts”?
Many big brand massage chairs are piling up various high-end academic terms, such as “AI intelligent spine scanning” and “multi-dimensional wrapping”. It may sound intimidating, but when used by elderly people in their fifties or sixties, the densely packed controller buttons make them hesitate, and in the end, they can only become “high-end clotheslines” in the living room.
In the months we spent pounding on this chair, we only made significant improvements in plain language:
Like clouds, but deep down, it can hold up
As you can see from the photos, the backrest and armrests of this chair have been designed with a full and segmented design similar to a “bread roll”. Elders often have varying degrees of strain on their spine, and they are most afraid of hanging in the air. We have adjusted the density of the internal high elasticity sponge, providing exclusive thick support for the head, neck, lumbar spine, and buttocks. The moment you sit on it, it’s like you’re completely trapped in a cloud, but your waist is firmly held, and there’s absolutely no feeling of powerlessness like ‘stuck in but unable to pull out’.
Smooth leather touch: an “old object” that breathes
We did not choose cold and technological leather, but instead chose this high-quality genuine leather with a slightly vintage texture. It feels warm, thick, and slightly cool to the touch. Elders are afraid of sweating, and this genuine leather material naturally has small pores and excellent breathability. And it is very durable. If you accidentally spill tea in your daily life, you can easily wipe it clean with a damp cloth. As time goes by, the leather will become more and more in line with the body, like an old friend who understands your temperament.
One click control of “lazy people” to relieve stress
Elderly people have poor eyesight and memory, and complex remote controls only make them anxious. We have simplified the control system to the extreme. Do you see the connecting handle hanging on the side of the chair? Several clearly marked large buttons, one click to activate the back and leg compression massage. When tired, with a gentle press, the steel frame at the bottom will smoothly extend out (as shown in the semi lying posture in the picture), allowing the legroom to be completely relaxed.
An imperfect detail: Why did we keep that big pocket?
As a space designer, I used to pursue absolute minimalism and cleanliness. But in the design of this chair, I deliberately kept an old-fashioned detail that looked a bit “breaking the lines” – the large storage pocket on the side.
At that time, the young designers in the team felt that this pocket was tacky and proposed to cancel it. I directly rejected it.
Because I know my parents’ real living habits: after they sit down, they always need to keep a thermos, a pair of reading glasses, the newspaper of the day, and the remote control for the TV by their side. If they have to bend down every time to grab something from the coffee table in pursuit of so-called ‘minimalist design’, then this design is a failure. This big pocket is designed to allow elders to feel the sense of security they need without having to stand up.
Conclusion: Health and companionship are the first warm sunshine after opening the floor curtain
Many people ask me, isn’t Meetwarm making courtyard furniture? How did they start making indoor functional chairs?
I want to say that life is not divided into indoor and outdoor. The core of Meetwarm is always the phrase ‘Meet a warmer life’. In the courtyard, we gathered a large family around the Eight Immortals table to create a lively atmosphere; In this corner of the living room, we use this genuine leather massage chair to protect our parents’ rare peace and ease.
Watching their parents work hard all their lives, in their later years, they should enjoy the sunshine elegantly, comfortably, and decently in their own corner.
If your parents also often suffer from back pain or can’t find a comfortable sitting position in the living room. Why don’t you come to Meetwarm and take a look at this custom-made leather seat for them. Give elders tangible care and let love happen in the details that are within reach.