# 2017

Hug Chair

About

A chair that hugs you - for dementia patients suffering alienation

Hug Chair is a chair cover designed to provide comfort and affection for Alzheimer’s patients. The cover combines a cushion and two extended arms that are easily attached to the chair by a wrap-around Velcro strap. Users slide their hands into the mitten-like pockets at the end of each arm, then pull the arms around themselves, simulating the experience of a hug. The cover attaches to most common chairs, making it flexible and accommodating. Inspired by the importance of a hug in releasing emotional tension, Hug Chair offers the Alzheimer’s sufferer a familiar and dependable embrace.

Napat Petcharatana

Pratt Institute
Napat (Nick) Petcharatana was born and raised in Thailand. She obtained bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from Chulalongkorn University and continued as a product designer at the biggest bathroom product company in Thailand. It is her experience traveling through Asia, Europe, and Americas that has shaped her the most as a designer. With ten years of training in design, she worked as both a teacher and a designer before joining master of industrial design at Pratt Institute to learn new tools and techniques to expand her creative potential. Nick is increasingly optimistic about the convergence of physical and digital products and the potential they have toward human well-being. In 2017, she received Rowena Reed Kostellow Award from Pratt's Department of Industrial Design.more
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