studio gidoo segments furniture like korean stone pagodas

seoul-based studio gidoo introduces its latest creation titled ‘story collection’, a furniture series consisting of two chairs and a side table. influenced by the shape of traditional korean stone pagoda used to build religious temples, each piece is crafted with a story that develops as a stair-like design. 

front view revealing the layered design of the legs that evoke the architecture of the stone pagoda in temples

particularly, every ‘story’ shaped by studio gidoo is segmented into careful proportions that bring out the visual and aesthetic qualities of the collection. for that to be realized, the team has invested a lot of time in reinterpreting the classic beauty of the stone pagodas with contemporary tones — ultimately revealing a timeless piece. the geometric straight lines and curves, for example, take away any unnecessary distraction from the decorative elements. furthermore, by excluding oblique and free-form features, the chair and side table generate a fairly restrained vibe — exactly like the stone pagoda. 

back view of story chair is conceived as a tower-like silhouette 

when looking at the chair from front, the vertical layers of the legs, the horizontal joinery supporting the seat and the circular section of the upper armrest are all suggestive of a pagoda or tower-like silhouette. this is also visible from the side where the horizontal joinery is projected over the leg line to create a cubic effect. unlike a prevalent wooden design, the armrests are intentionally thick which  provokes a visual pleasure with unfamiliar proportions and a comfortable support for one’s waist. in addition, the surface of a rear leg supporting the armrest is designed to be relatively wide — creating formative consistency as well as structural stability.

armrests of the chair are intentionally thick for greater support

for this series, the studio has developed a contrast between maple and black colors over the layered legs. the side table’s horizontally wide upper plate is supported by a cross-shaped member and four legs — two of which are higher than the others thanks to a bar diagonally traversing the flat surface. most importantly, this piece should be easy to move around the house; for this reason, the upper bar will be a handle for convenient trasnportation. all products are made from maple wood and traditional wood joinery without any ironwork — to ensure greater durability. 

detail of the chair’s wood joinery 

vertical layers of the legs are suggestive of a pagoda-like structure

side table’s upper bar is a handle for convenient movement across the house

black colored chair contrasting with the light wooden tone of the leg tips

the full story collection 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom