Bronze Furniture Design · 2024
Tha Chair
by Jun Nakano
- A' Design Award 2024 Bronze Winner in Furniture Design
- Awarded April 15, 2024
- CLIENT: Jun Nakano
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 16,044
- Verification code 29CA12E97C · Verify this award
About Tha Chair
Tha is a four legged armchair that can be stacked from the front as well as the back. This is a revolutionary idea in chair history, already patented and very convenient. It can easily and smoothly be stacked with a slight lift from the back, even if the table is in front. Nothing has been sacrificed in design or seating comfort for this feature. It is designed with simple lines that do not require excessive handwork.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- "THA Chair" is a four-legged armchair that can be stacked not only from the front but also from the back.
This is a revolutionary idea in the history of chairs and is very convenient. For example, if you want to stack regular chairs with a table in front, it is very difficult to pull the chairs out wide and stack them from the front. Additionally, it must be raised to seat height. Meanwhile, this chair can be stacked smoothly with only a slight lift. - Dimensions & Packaging
- Width 650mm x Depth 540mm x Height 820mm
- Tags
- Chair, Stacking, Furniture, Patented, Innovative
- Production Technology
- The curved surface of the backrest is smooth and provides firm back support. The armrest is composed of straight lines and curved lines, which eliminates excessive manual work and contributes to cost reduction. The aim was to create a simple and functional design that eliminates unnecessary decorations. The structure is also very simple and does not require any moving parts to flip up the seat like traditional nesting chairs.
- Design Challenge
- This structure had problems with its strength, but by making the legs and armrests thinner, it was able to flexibly withstand the load. It has a structure that does not sacrifice functionality or comfort as a chair. The name THA comes from the silhouette of the chairs when lined up.
- Project Duration
- We applied for a patent and design in 2019, presented a prototype of this chair design in Tokyo in 2021, updated it further, and exhibited it at the IFFT Tokyo International Furniture Fair in March 2024. The prototype has been completed and sales are about to begin.
- Operation Flow
- You can stack the chairs in different ways depending on the situation, such as from the back if the table is in front of you, or from the front if it is leaning against a wall. When stacked from the front, they have the same functionality as regular chairs, but when stacked from the back, they don't have to be lifted as high and are even more functional. This is especially important if you are loading the cart high up.
- Research
- Regular stackable chairs cannot be stacked from the back, regardless of whether they have armrests or not. And in the history of chair design, which is said to have a history of 4,000 years, armchairs that can be stacked from the back have not become popular at all. The improved positioning of the armrests and front legs contributes to this innovative feature.
- Inspiration
- Why did we never question the fact that chairs can only be stacked from the front? To eliminate this inconvenience, we improved the positioning and processing of the legs and armrests so that they could be stacked from the back.
This patented idea and structure can also be applied to steel chairs, creating a new trend in stackable chair design. - Image Credits
- All image and video rights are reserved by Jun Nakano.
Colors of Tha Chair
Grand Interview about Tha Chair
One day I was sitting in an aligned chair. In front of me I could see the back of the chair in front of me. The idea occurred to me that it would be more efficient to stack the many chairs in this row from the back in order to clear them out.
The structure, which can be stacked from behind, is patented. This means that the patent office has recognized that this structure has never existed before. However, there was a problem of strength, especially in the case of wooden chairs. Therefore, to prevent the load from being concentrated in one point, several parts were thinly shaved so that the load would be dispersed by the elasticity of the wood.
I have mastered traditional Japanese woodworking techniques and make my own prototypes to realize my ideas.In doing so, I put together a design while also envisioning the production process and efficiency of the product. The result is an innovative chair with a simple structure.
I have researched a great deal of literature in order to obtain a patent. I then applied for a patent so that I would not be unable to use the idea myself. In other words, I obtained a patent to protect myself.
Many chairs that can be nested like shopping carts have been designed in the past, but these chairs have movable parts that allow the seat to flip up and down. These have moving parts that can be raised and lowered, which complicates the structure and increases cost.The important part of the structure is very simple, so I tried to create a design that would not compromise that.
In recent years I have designed a number of chairs inspired by letterforms. When I design a chair, I design from the silhouette and the shadows that the chair casts in the light. I am working on a variety of ideas, including chairs that cast beautiful shadows even when no one is sitting in them, and chairs that become complete when a person sits in them.
Chairs with many complex curves cause many problems in the production process; we have designed a good combination of three-dimensional and two-dimensional structures to achieve cost reductions. And its simple structure leads to ease of repair, aiming for longer use through repair.
When I came up with this structure in 2019, it was a two-legged chair. And the chair, named [8], won the Reddot design award in Germany in 2021.The design of that chair was very simple but very challenging for a chair. The THA Chair was designed as a more common chair with four legs.
I specialize in wooden furniture design, but am currently in the process of designing metal chairs and desks for the office. These can be mixed and stacked despite their different designs.I hope that these furniture pieces will be used in various places in the future.
The fact that the THA chair won the Bronze A Design Award proves that my ideas are not only applicable in Japan.I am very proud of the fact that the chair has become a catalyst for the spread of various designs around the world, and I see a lot of potential for the future.