mikiya kobayashi designs kimi no isu chair for young infants

mikiya kobayashi has designed a small wooden chair, which is to be used by a young child. in the famous woodworking city of asahikawa in hokkaido, japan, each infant is presented with a chair of their own. every year since 2006, the city has teamed up with one local woodcrafter and a designer to collaborate and make this special furniture product. kobayashi was invited to work on the ‘kimi no isu’ project, by creating a carefully crafted seat that could be given as a present to a newborn child.

all images @ yosuke owashi

in hokkaido, the chair is thought to be the ‘first friend’ of the child. mikiya kobayashi played upon this concept by creating an organic, rounded shape that personifies the object to emulate a friendly, living being. the flat surface was specifically tailored to be used as a table before a seat, so that the toddler can still use it before they are old enough to sit. each chair is made of solid wood and is engraved with a logo, serial number, and name and birthday of the new owner, making it truly one of a kind.

in hokkaido, japan, each infant is presented with a chair of their own

the chair is thought to be the ‘first friend’ of the child 

the chair is to be given as a present to a newborn child 

the chair contains an organic, rounded shape 

the flat surface is to be used as a table for the toddler to steady themsleves

 
logo, serial number, name and birthday are engraved on each chair

detail

the organic shape personifies the object to emulate a friendly, living being

individual parts

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: hollie smith | designboom