London studio Pearson Lloyd has called on designers to take on more medical and accessible design projects, as it revealed its design for an aesthetically appealing stairlift called Flow X.
Created for British mobility specialists Access BDD, Flow X is meant to not only be useful and technologically advanced but also to look attractive in the home.
Pearson Lloyd took on the project as it saw an opportunity to reinvent an overlooked and even stigmatised product ? one that, according to the studio, people actively avoid installing even though this is detrimental to their health.
The Flow X stairlift was designed by Pearson Lloyd
The studio is challenging the design industry to do more in this sector.
"Although medical products are essential to those in need, they are by their nature not aspirational," studio co-founder Luke Pearson told Dezeen. "A large proportion of design press has historically focused on glamorous, seductive projects with mass appeal simply because they are fashionable or new."
Its footrest, seat and armrests can be folded away to save space
He said that this, in combination with the fact that medical products are often complex and require lots of testing and expertise, made design studios reluctant to take on such projects.
"There is also the cliche that they often end up looking like medical products because the market finds comfort with this approach as a way to convince users of their purpose," he explained.
"Ironica...