The Monomorph Silla by Wouter Van Riet Paap

The Monomorph Silla by Wouter Van Riet Paap is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award de Hierro in Diseño de Mobiliario Competition Category.

HierroMobiliario· 2025

The Monomorph Silla

by Wouter Van Riet Paap

Client: De Ontwerpdivisie

A' Design Award de Hierro Winner in Mobiliario Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #163541

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Colors

The Design

About The Monomorph Silla

El Monomorph es una silla construida con 39 elementos de madera idénticos. Trabajar con una sola forma para crear una silla resulta en un producto altamente duradero y modular. Estos elementos de forma triangular provienen todos de una sola lámina de madera contrachapada. Los 39 elementos están conectados mediante varillas de acero que forman el respaldo, el asiento y las patas. La silla puede transportarse como un paquete plano y es fácil de ensamblar. La madera contrachapada se pinta en colores preseleccionados o puede usarse sin tratar en la edición natural.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Hierro

The Monomorph Silla ha ganado el A' Design Award de Hierro, un reconocimiento prestigioso concedido a buenos diseños que cumplen los requisitos profesionales e industriales que se esperan de creaciones bien diseñadas. Los ganadores de Hierro demuestran gran habilidad, alta especialización, comprensión experta y capacidad creativa de sus creadores. Se espera que The Monomorph Silla sea una creación muy apreciada, admirada y querida, práctica e innovadora. Este diseño ganador del A' Design Award de Hierro integra las mejores prácticas del sector y tiene características técnicas competentes unidas a conocimiento práctico y talento. The Monomorph Silla es respetado por su minuciosidad y está concebido para aportar mejoras en la calidad de vida que ayudan a hacer del mundo un lugar mejor.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: The Monomorph is a chair that is constructed with 39 completely identical plywood elements. These elements are connected by steel rods. The plywood is painted in pre-selected colors but can also be used untreated in the RAW edition. The Monomorph is a relaxing fauteuil, intriguing from all angles.
Dimensions & Packaging: The chair has a total depth of 810mm, a total width of 650mm and a total height of 850mm. Materials used are painted plywood, stainless steel tubes with rifling inside and cap screw on the outside.
Tags: chair, fauteuil, plywood,steel, comfortable, modular
Production Technology: The 38 elements are CNC cut after various scale models were made. There has been substantial testing of various elements resulting in different chairs with different levels of comfort. eventually this single shape turned out to be the perfect single shape to create a chair with. There are several variants with 16 identical elements instead of 39, where the seat and backrest are formed with paper cord, used trucktarp or vegan leather.
Design Challenge: The hardest part was to actually find the single shape with which to realize an actual chair that is both beautiful and comfortable. After the shape was found the challange was to make the chair stable. For this several models were build and eventually the real life prototype. First with 16 identical elements with vegan leather used for seat and backrest. Later even more pure, using only that one wooden shape.
Research: As an architect I am always thinking about design and how to make it buildable. In construction the standardisation of elements, or even complete houses, has become more and more important. To keep costs acceptable, to minimize failure and maximize sustainability. But standardisation also limits the architects freedom to actually make a design. That is why I try to design these standardised elements myself in order to make the design leading and the standard elements following. The Monomorph is based on this principle of design lead standardisation. It is a chair constructed with 39 identical elements, which is a wooden triangle with rounded corners. A chair is formed by connecting these 39 elements with steel rods. The same element can be seat, backrest or leg. By adding more elements the chair can even be a sofa.
Inspiration: In nature, an organism existing out of one shape is called a monomorph. The Monomorph chair is the result of my research to find this ideal single shape to create a chair with: One form to define the result. It makes building the chair efficient, creating less waste.
Project Duration: The chair was designed in Januari 2024 in Utrecht, The Netherlands after several models were made. The first real size prototype was build in March 2024 after which extensive testing at the designers house took place. All in Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Operation Flow: The chair can be assembled by everyone who can handle a allen wrench.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Wouter van Riet Paap, 2024