Kortrijk, Belgium

Robin Delaere, the lead designer of Parklife, collaborates with Pebl Furniture and designs the Beachbuddy, a functional and ergonomic product that allows people to get more comfortable at the beach or the park.

For its functionality and ergonomic design, the Beachbuddy has recently been awarded a 2022 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

Renting a sun lounger can be very expensive and most foldable seats are not comfortable, not very ergonomic, unhandy, look like cheap camping gear, and are simply outdated.

Whether you want to lay back and relax in the sun or sit up straight and read a book, the Beachbuddy is easily transformed simply by flipping over the frame.

It’s also very easy to carry due to its low weight and extra back straps. Suntan lotion, sunglasses, magazines, or any other accessory can safely be stored in a customized bag. A handy elastic strap allows you to easily carry a towel or football.

As with all multifunctional products the designers had to carefully research the ergonomics involved in using the Beachbuddy as a relaxing seat, as a sunlounger, or when carrying the product on your back.

While doing so the challenge was to design a product that was technically superior, durable, recyclable, and looked very appealing, while still being affordable.

Finally, the designer had to spend a lot of time finding the right solutions to make this product user-friendly and easy to use.

For example, the bag and the elastic strap add quite a bit of functionality.

Materials used in this product are aluminum profile, PVC sling, PE caps, and outdoor nylon fabric.

The production processes used are welding, knitting, powder coating, injection molding, and aluminum die-cast molding.

Project: Beachbuddy
Designers: Parklife GCV.
Lead Designer: Robin Delaere
Manufacturer: Pebl Furniture