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Sushi Chair by Linda Martins

Sushi Chair by Linda Martins is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Silver A' Design Award in Furniture Design Competition Category.


SilverFurniture· 2020

Sushi Chair

by Linda Martins

Client: Studio Linda Martins

Silver A' Design Award Winner in Furniture Category

32,301

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #102603

Colors

The Design

About Sushi Chair

Sushi is a chair designed for homes and other interiors. The structure is handmade from noble wood and shaped with simple lines and clear geometric angles. The parts are made one by one and glued, following traditional carpentry methods. Textured fabrics bring comfort to the seat and the cylindrical backrest, while brass details complete the piece. The backrest is fixed in a way that allows the fabric to be replaced later. The chair measures 520 mm in width, 500 mm in depth and 810 mm in height.

The Recognition

About the Silver A' Design Award

Sushi Chair is a Silver A' Design Award winner, an extraordinarily prestigious recognition granted to top-of-the-line, gorgeous, and impressive designs. Silver winners are tremendously brilliant and exceedingly creative works that illustrate the outstanding expertise, talent, and acuity of their designers. Sushi Chair is expected to be a wonderful, showpiece work that is remarkably professional and profoundly innovative. This Silver A' Design Award-winning design is a highly notable, admired invention that benefits and advances the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Sushi Chair is a vastly envied creation that evokes desires, introduces positive feelings, and sparks amazement and wonderment.

Where to Get It

Contemporary Handcrafted Furniture Design

We create bespoke furniture pieces that blend traditional craftsmanship with minimalist Scandinavian aesthetics. Our award-winning studio specializes in contemporary designs using noble woods and artisanal techniques, bringing comfort and sophistication to modern living spaces.

Discuss Your Project

Interviews

Grand Interview

Your innovative approach to the Sushi Chair's cylindrical backrest design is particularly striking - could you elaborate on how you developed this distinctive feature while ensuring both aesthetic appeal and practical maintenance?

The cylindrical backrest of the Sushi Chair was inspired by the concept of blending simplicity with iconic design. During the design process, we aimed to create a piece that would stand out visually yet integrate seamlessly into various environments. The cylindrical form was chosen for its minimalist elegance and its ability to provide ergonomic support.In terms of practical maintenance, the backrest is crafted using traditional woodworking techniques, ensuring durability and ease of care. The smooth finish makes it resistant to everyday wear and easy to clean, maintaining its aesthetic appeal over time. This feature reflects the chair’s duality: a nod to craftsmanship traditions while embracing contemporary design language.

The Sushi Chair beautifully merges traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design - what inspired you to combine these seemingly contrasting elements, and how does this fusion reflect your vision of modern furniture design?

The inspiration to merge traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design came from my desire to create a timeless piece that honors the artistry of woodworking while appealing to modern sensibilities. I believe that furniture should tell a story, connecting the past to the present, and the Sushi Chair does just that. The use of traditional techniques, such as handcrafting each piece and using wood joinery, reflects the dedication and skill of classical woodworking. At the same time, the contemporary lines and geometric composition bring a fresh and modern aesthetic to the design. This fusion mirrors my vision of modern furniture as an intersection of history, innovation, and adaptability—creating pieces that feel both familiar and forward-thinking.

Given that the Sushi Chair was handcrafted using traditional carpentry techniques, how did you balance maintaining artisanal quality while ensuring the design could potentially be scaled for broader production?

Balancing artisanal quality with scalability was a key consideration in designing the Sushi Chair. The traditional carpentry techniques used in its creation, such as precise wood joinery and hand-finishing, were deliberately chosen to preserve the authenticity and uniqueness of each piece. However, the design was also developed with modularity and efficiency in mind to allow for broader production if needed.To achieve this balance, I focused on creating a straightforward yet iconic structure with minimal waste in material use, making it easier to replicate without losing the artisanal essence. By standardizing certain elements, such as the dimensions of the cylindrical backrest and seat components, and employing noble wood that’s both durable and versatile, the chair’s design can be scaled while still upholding the quality and character that define its handcrafted origin. This approach ensures that Sushi remains a symbol of craftsmanship even in larger production runs.

Read the Full Interview

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties
Created by hand, the Sushi chair translates the precepts of the old carpentry, having its parts glued, made one by one, it fuses the old and the new, with its contemporary lines. It is a funny chair, that reflect the purpose of the object in a geometric composition. The structure in wood, use angles and seemingly simple shapes and offers comfort and surprise. Noble wood in its purest form.
Dimensions & Packaging
Width 520mm x Depth 500mm x Height 810mm
Tags
chair, wood, sushi, funny , comfort
Production Technology
The structure was handmade of noble wood, wood in its purest form. Textured fabrics bring the comfort of the piece and details in brass.
Design Challenge
The big challenge was to find a way to fix the cylindrical backrest, in a non-definitive way, so that in the future the fabric can be replaced. As the chair is produced by hand, the parts are permanently glued.
Research
The research was done on the form of artisanal production first. Creating lines that could be reproduced, but that keeped their complexity. Then, geometric shapes were added that gave the piece a contemporary and cheerful air.
Inspiration
The project brief was to design a comfortable chair, with simple lines in wood and with a iconic visual. Sushi, like there name, is a funny chair, but it can be sophisticated, its depends by the enviroment.
Project Duration
The chair was designed in 2019 in Rio Grande do Sul. The production phase, started and finished in Sao Paulo in March of 2020.
Operation Flow
A chair with a structure well worked in wood, using simple lines, which can be incorporated in various environments, bringing joy, sophistication and lightness. Materializes the basic act of sitting.
Team Members
Linda Martins
Image Credits
Image #1: Rodrigo Ortega
Image #2: Rodrigo Ortega
Image #3: Rodrigo Ortega
Image #4: Rodrigo Ortega
Image #5: Rodrigo Ortega

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