A dining chair with armrests, perfect for relaxing after a meal. Designed for everyday use, this armchair prioritizes the comfort of the person sitting in it. It's the original chair in the series, designed to be a part of your daily life.
Ryuji Mitani
I'm not a furniture design expert, but I've always been interested in chairs, just like I am in tableware. And for a long time, I've harbored the desire to design at least one chair in my lifetime. Now, that wish has finally come to fruition in the form of the "3r-h armchair."
Actually, I held a furniture exhibition once, back in 2006. The title was "Furniture Born from Everyday Life." Rather than being a designer, I would ask my artist friends to create furniture that I thought would be nice to have in my daily life. I had accumulated quite a collection of these pieces over a long period of time, so I decided to hold the exhibition.
I've always believed that design stems from the desire to improve people's lives, even just a little. That's why I think design isn't just for professionals; it's something that people themselves should think about and cultivate to make their homes more comfortable. It's like refining your sense of style in clothing, and I think it's an even more necessary skill when it comes to homes, which have more individualized conditions than the human body.
Originally, before the profession of designer was established, houses and furniture were created through the collaborative efforts of homeowners and craftsmen. The outsourcing of this process to "specialists" led to mass production becoming the norm, making it difficult to create items perfectly suited to individual lifestyles. That's why I believe it would be wonderful if design could be freed from its specialized nature and made more accessible. I hope that more people will reclaim their own "design power," order items that perfectly match their homes and feelings using their own words, and create them together with craftsmen—that kind of approach will become more widespread.
The "3r-h armchair" uses solid oak wood, with a wooden frame and a leather seat chosen for its cushioning. Designed for everyday use at the dining table, it's lightweight and features a timeless design. The armrests, which are frequently touched, are crafted to develop a beautiful patina over time.
When I was asked to design a chair, the first thing that came to mind was the low-back chair designed by Shaker. Of all the chairs I've seen over the years, this is my favorite. Its low, understated backrest doesn't visually obstruct the room. I've always been strongly drawn to its quiet presence.
Chairs originally served as symbols of "authority," like the chairs of kings. With the advent of mass production, they spread to the lives of ordinary people, but even today, high-backed chairs still retain a certain trace of that legacy. However, Shaker low-backed chairs lack this. I wanted to create a chair that, while drawing inspiration from its understated presence, would quietly blend into modern life.
This single chair embodies the lives of the people I've witnessed and the quiet moments they've accumulated. A chair is something that accompanies us in our daily lives, quietly supporting us in both tired and joyful times. It's a tool that walks alongside us through the great passage of time that is "living" and "life." I hope this chair will always be placed in the same spot, accepting the body of whoever comes along, and quietly marking the passage of time.
It's sometimes said that a person can write one novel in their lifetime. This likely means that by tracing one's own path and weaving together the thoughts and memories that reside along that path, a complete story can be created. However, even with a compelling subject, transforming it into living words requires a discerning eye and the power of writing. Perhaps chairs are quite similar in this respect.
However, this time I was fortunate enough to work on chair making with Hida Sangyo's excellent technology and design team. Thanks to them, I feel I was able to arrive at a form that could be called "one answer to the question of chairs" in my own way. I am deeply grateful for this encounter.
