Musubi Stool by Mizuki Chinen is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Silver A' Design Award in Furniture Design Competition Category.
SilverFurniture· 2025
Musubi Stool
Client: Chinen Mizuki
Silver A' Design Award Winner in Furniture Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #169688The Design
About Musubi Stool
This stool was inspired by the word Musubi. Musubi is an ancient Japanese Shinto concept, and it is the idea that things and life are formed by connecting various things. The shape of this stool is based on the motif of a Mizuhiki bow knot. When viewed from the front, the design is linear, but when viewed from an angle, the seat appears to have a gentle curve. When not in use, it can be folded up for compact storage. It can be easily assembled by simply inserting the parts without using nails or screws.
The Recognition
About the Silver A' Design Award
Musubi Stool 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. Musubi Stool 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. Musubi Stool is a vastly envied creation that evokes desires, introduces positive feelings, and sparks amazement and wonderment.
Where to Get It
Custom Japanese-Inspired Furniture Design
We create bespoke furniture pieces that blend traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern functionality. Drawing inspiration from Okinawan nature and ancient craftsmanship techniques, our designs bring beauty and practicality to your living spaces. Silver A' Design Award winner specializing in sustainable woodwork with thoughtful details.
Inquire NowBehind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The shape of this stool is based on the motif of a bow-knotted mizuhiki. Mizuhiki is a decorative cord used in Japanese culture to wrap gifts for celebrations. Among them, the bow-knotted mizuhiki is a way of tying that is used for joyful celebrations no matter how many times it is used. Additionally, when viewed from the front, the stool appears to have a linear design, but from an angle, the seat reveals a gentle curve.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 410mm x 230 mm x 430 mm
- Tags
- Design, Chair, Furniture, Furniture Design
- Production Technology
- A technique called paper hinge is used to join the boards together. Paper hinge is a technique used in traditional Japanese folding screens.
Also, this stool is made of cedar wood. Cedar is soft, lightweight, and strong. Moreover, it is a material that does not easily deteriorate even in humid places, making it suitable for the hot and humid climate of Japan. - Design Challenge
- I had a hard time figuring out how to make it strong with just wood and paper, and how to prevent it from breaking. We have reviewed the design many times in order to achieve both durability as a stool and the convenience of disassembling it.
- Research
- We researched how to incorporate traditional Japanese techniques and materials into the design.
- Inspiration
- This stool was inspired by the word Musubi. Musubi is one of the traditional Japanese Shinto concepts, and it is the idea that things and life are formed by connecting various things. It was created with the hope that the person who uses this stool will be connected to good things.
- Project Duration
- The project started in January 2025 in Okinawa.
- Operation Flow
- This stool is divided into two parts and can be folded to make it compact when not in use. It can be easily assembled by simply inserting the parts without using nails or screws.
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