Jumbo is a New York-based design studio founded by Justin Donnelly and Monling Lee. Through a reductionist, bare-bones approach to design, they emphasize the beauty of simplicity. Jumbo’s creations combine wit and technical precision, stimulating the imagination while remaining practical. Donnelly and Lee are deeply interested in color, continually exploring the psychological impact of shape and hue. Well aware of the power of food’s colors, forms, and textures to evoke personal resonance and emotional response, many of their projects incorporate palettes drawn from culinary references. Jumbo’s works have been featured in major design journals including Dezeen, Azure, Designboom, Interni, ELLE Decoration UK, and The New York Times.
Recycled plastic polyethylene blend 2024
Fortune Chair was part of the Creature Comfort collection released in 2020 and the first digital model series created by Jumbo. A witty take on the fortune cookie’s folded form, it was inspired by Lee and her family’s first encounter with fortune cookies in a Chinese restaurant soon after emigrating from Taiwan to the United States. It is designed for both indoor and outdoor use, with over 25% made from post-consumer plastic. Unlike most chairs, it has vertical symmetry, meaning that it can be used even when turned upside down. The simplified structure encourages users to see the chair as not only furniture but a fun, toy-like object.