A Bury St Edmunds undergraduate has designed six new innovative seats for a Colchester-based commercial seating manufacturer.

East Anglian Daily Times: Arc seating, part of the GeoMet range from Sui Generis of The Hythe, Colchester and designed by Ben Whittaker. Picture: SUI GENERISArc seating, part of the GeoMet range from Sui Generis of The Hythe, Colchester and designed by Ben Whittaker. Picture: SUI GENERIS (Image: Sui Generis)

The company is renowned for its colourful seats, planters and water features which have taken centre stage at RHS Royal Chelsea Flower Show and Wembley Park.

The new designs have been influenced by the firm’s GeoMet’s range of contemporary seats displaying bold shapes for open spaces, exhibition areas, conferences, schools, foyers and urban exteriors.

Ben, who is from Bury St Edmunds, designed the pieces while on a six-month work placement as part of his degree from Nottingham Trent University.

He said: “I was tasked to design a new module for Sui Generis’s current range. I was given free rein over what I designed, but I wanted to give a new look and style which also complements the existing range. It’s a student’s dream to see your designs go from paper to production.”

East Anglian Daily Times: Furniture and Product Design Undergraduate, Ben Whittaker, 20, has designed six new innovative seats for leading Colchester-based commercial seating manufacturer, Sui Generis. Geomet Pompidou seating. Picture: SUI GENERISFurniture and Product Design Undergraduate, Ben Whittaker, 20, has designed six new innovative seats for leading Colchester-based commercial seating manufacturer, Sui Generis. Geomet Pompidou seating. Picture: SUI GENERIS (Image: Sui Generis)