Design Interview
Hana Chair · 20 questions
Hana Chair is an elegant, daring and cutting edge piece of furniture inspired by plant nature. Like a flower, Hana blossoms into two petals as a structural and functional solution to the requirements of a chair, by…
What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
Hana Chair is an elegant, daring and cutting edge piece of furniture inspired by plant nature. Like a flower, Hana blossoms into two petals as a structural and functional solution to the requirements of a chair, by embracing both the backrest and the seat. The human eye is used to curved lines and surfaces, they have always been present in nature. Its attractive shape, together with the warmth of the material, makes the user to come closer and interact with it in a natural way.
What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
When I created Hana Chair, I wanted to create an object that interacts with the observer in a natural way. The human eye is more used to curved lines and surfaces, they have always been present in nature, they surround us. That instinct lingers in our animal subconscious, and the soft, natural forms give us tranquility and pleasure. Its attractive shape, together with the warmth of the material, makes the user to come closer.
What are your future plans for this award winning design?
I would like to see Sankao in other types of wood, and try to promote the table in specialty design stores internationally.
How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
It took 2 or 3 weeks to design, and around 2 months to manufacture.
Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
This concept was not a commission, it's was a personal need to pursue an inspiration, a need to continue creating and increase my portfolio.
Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
Hana Chair is available to purchase at my own store, as well as in some selected design galleries and stores in different countries. The production is still mine, no intention of selling or leasing the production rights.
What made you design this particular type of work?
As I said before, it was a personal need to increase my portfolio and continue creating. I love learning from challenges, and Hana was a big manufacture and design challenge.
Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?
If I'm honest, apart from nature, my biggest source of inspiration is architecture. There are several architectural practices that obviously influenced the way I design, I was trained as an architect. Architectural studios like BIG or MAD are some of my inspirations, among others.
Who is the target customer for his design?
These are high budget pieces of furniture. The material and manufacture process are so complex, that the potential customers are people or companies that are seeking for a really special and unique piece of furniture.
What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
The organic concept. Hana is almost a living being, it's more than a conventional chair.
How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
Hana: from japanese はな , meaning "blossom".
Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
During my experimental phase I use materials like plasticine or paper, and tools such as drawing and 3D software, usually Rhino.
What is the most unique aspect of your design?
It's organic shape. It turns to be magnetic to the viewer.
Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
In order to create and manufacture Hana Chair, I collaborate with specialized wood artisans. They helped me a lot to understand how the material works and how it can be shaped to achieve the final piece.
What is the role of technology in this particular design?
Hana equally combines technology with craftsmanship. In order to cut the wood parts, we made use of a 5-axis CNC milling router machine, which was critical in order to achieve the complex surface geometries I wanted to create.
Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
No, I didn't considered this when facing my design.
What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
The main challenge was to model and cnc cut the wooden pieces with such a complex geometry. It was tough to design the manufacture process.
How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
I wanted to test the design, see what specialized design experts think about the piece. See if it really works.
What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
It's very satisfying to clear challenges. Hana was a big challenge for me, and fulfilling every part of the design process was very rewarding. I learned to have confidence in my capabilities.
Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
Just wanted to say thank you to A' Design Awards for the opportunity, we should all work in the same direction to to enhance the world of design.
