A chair about posture, temporary comfort vs long-term comfort, and stance.
I wanted to design a piece of furniture that represented how I understood Chinese culture, that challenges the traditional Chinese furniture norms, that provides an alternative option to what is available on the market, and that brings a different definition to Chinese design.
The Yuan chair is an experiment to challenge the material usage as well as the manufacturing process used on “Chinese furniture”. The shell of the chair is made from a unibody of maple and okoume veneers glued together using a mold. And while bent lamination is much regarded as a Scandinavian invention, I personally believe it shares many values that of traditional Chinese furniture-making. It is environment friendly in that the use of veneers reduce material waste compared to real wood, its making process is fast and efficient and requires less assembly. The base of the chair is made from welded stainless steel, another material that’s never related to Chinese furniture but very strong and cost effective.
In terms of design, the circular shape sliced and folded is a nod to the repeating use of circular elements in traditional Chinese furniture and architecture alike. The ergonomics were adjusted to maximize seating comfort, while the high arms provide a strong presence of sitting stance to anyone using the chair, an ancient Chinese belief that good furniture should bring out the best side of the user. All in all, the Yuan chair is a piece of furniture born from unique Chinese beliefs and ideologies, made possible using modern form language, material and production methods.
The domestic furniture market in China is a huge one. However through the years there's only been 2 big categories of furniture styles: western imported furniture, and traditionally inspired furniture designs. The former has a had a huge success with big companies like IKEA and Hay, while the latter seems to have a hard time convincing younger buyers.
One of the biggest reasons is cost. compared to western furniture, traditional Chinese is well known for its intricate details and curves, as well as the use of a 100% real wood structure. This is still very much influencing the modern Chinese furniture scene, with manufacturers and designers striving to capture the essence of the classics. This results in a phenomenon of furniture that's heavily inspired by Ming and Qing Dynasty classics in style, constructed with intricate joinery and expensive wood. And while more and more younger buyers are in the market looking for furniture that better represents their identity, this 'New Chinese Style' aesthetic is becoming very dated, and at a very unaffordable price point.
