NC

Kengo Kuma was assigned to design the Nezu Museum in Minamiaoyama in Tokyo. This was the first time we manufactured a piece of furniture designed by him—the NC chair. One of our shops is located next to the museum. Knowing that Kuma would be designing the neighbouring museum, we contacted the person in charge in his office and the museum staff with the desire to make the furniture for this project. This chair is the result of those conversations. Our relationship with Kuma deepened gradually, and we have been the furniture making partner for many of his architectural projects since then.

The chair Kuma designed for the museum represents simplicity itself. The thin, flat seat has a backrest that traces a gentle arc, and stretching from the thin seat are four slender legs, the inner sides of which are chamfered to give them a delicate touch. The thinness of the seat posed a difficult structural challenge in making this chair out of wood. However, it was essential for wood to be the only material used in manufacturing this design. We finally resorted to securing strength by adding a structure of invisible joints.

We repeated test production many times with the factory while discussing ways to secure enough strength using only wood, and finally completed the chair for the museum. Although it appears to be a simple chair without any special characteristics at first glance, it looks perfect when placed inside Kengo Kuma’s architectural space. This chair is a part of his architecture; therefore, the furniture harmonizes with the space. Although there are a number of masterpiece chairs designed by architects, the best place to appreciate them is in the architectural spaces designed by these architects. This project taught us there is a context for everything. This chair shares the architecture designed by Kengo Kuma.