striking vertical lines define naoto fukasawa's new 'tou' chair for kettal

tou by naoto fukasawa

contemporary japanese industrial designer naoto fukasawa designed the latest kettal chair named ‘tou’. he is most well known for his product design work with the japanese retail company muji and other renowned companies such as herman miller, alessi, b&b italia. ‘tou’ is a modest tribute to the ancient handicraft of rattan and reed wickerwork, an essential element in the development of both western and eastern cultures. historically, it has been used for all kinds of domestic utensils, furniture, and more.

all images courtesy of kettal

traditional manual techniques + industrial process

the materials are simple and completely natural, but the internal structure of the stem consists of hundreds of cavities, making it both strong and light. the manufacture combines traditional manual techniques with much more industrial processes. instead of using the most common form of weaving, naoto uses striped vertical lines, which are lighter and much more expressive than mesh. the outline is smooth and soft, following the natural shapes provided by the material.

tou chair with grey cushions

tou chair without cushions

project info:

name: tou

designer: naoto fukasawa