#designpieces

The Joining Details

Furniture is a pretty saturated market. And then chairs would have to be the white t-shirts of the furniture world.  They’re super common and despite the elaborate embellishments and designs that come out, they remain pretty much the same. But every so often, I stumble on a chair that is utterly breathtaking. I don’t have set criteria for what makes an outstanding chair but ‘detailing’ is definitely something that crops up regularly.

That’s exactly what makes the Finger Joint Chair by Korean designer Samwoong Lee a stunning piece of furniture. When describing the chair, Lee explains that the evolution came through research into the nature of wood. The explorations led to the points of connection – the joins. These often overlooked details are pulled straight to the eye with an intricate finger join of the timber veneer shell. As if a pair of clasping hands, the back rest and legs gently criss-cross as they intersect together.

This chair tells a tale of tradition coming together seamlessly with technology, through the traditional furniture-making skills and the experimentation with timber veneer. Crafted and fused together in a totally unexpected way.

DESIGN PIECE: Finger Joint Chair by Samwoong Lee