Oruha Noho by Yuya Nakazawa is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Gula in Hoʻolālā Lako Hale Competition Category.

GulaLako Hale· 2026

Oruha Noho

by Yuya Nakazawa

Client: Yedit

A' Design Award Gula Winner in Lako Hale Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #178435

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Oruha Noho

Hōʻike kēia hoʻolālā i kahi noho i hoʻokumu ʻia ma ke ʻano he kahua huna lehulehu, e hāʻawi ana i kahi puʻuhonua pilikino i loko o nā wahi kaʻana like. Kaulike kona haʻina i ka hiʻohiʻona kālai kiʻi me ka maʻalahi hana, e kākoʻo ana i ka hoʻohana lōʻihi a me ka launa pili kanaka. Hoʻokumu nā ʻili pīhoihoi a me nā mea i hoʻohālikelike pono ʻia i kahi manaʻo o ka pā puni ʻana ʻoiai e mālama ana i ka hāmama. Hoʻonui nā hoʻopau kūlohelohe i ka mau loa, ka maʻalahi o ka mālama ʻana, a me ka ʻelemakule nani, e ʻae ana i ka ʻāpana e hui pū me nā wahi noho o kēlā me kēia lā ʻoiai e mālama ana i ka mahana hoʻopā.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Gula

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Oruha Noho i ka A' Design Award Gula, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā pae mua, kupaianaha a kūʻokoʻa. He mau hana hou loa, ʻike maka a nani hoʻolaʻa nā lanakila Gula e hōʻike ana i ka ʻuhane akamai, ka naʻauao a me ka mākau o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Oruha Noho he mea hoʻokumu i hoʻomaikaʻi nui ʻia, e hoʻokumu ana i nā ʻano hou, he nui, e hāʻawi ana i ka waiwai ʻaʻole i ʻike ʻia ma mua. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Gula he papahana kupaianaha, mahalo ʻia e hāʻawi i ka pōmaikaʻi nui a hoʻoneʻe i nā palena o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana. Hoʻāla ka hoʻolālā Oruha Noho i nā manaʻo makemake ikaika, hoʻāla i ka ʻiʻini, hoʻoulu i ka hana noʻeau a hoʻopūliki iā mākou.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Oruha Chair proposes the idea of a private sanctuary within a public space.
While functioning as a sculptural object that shapes the surrounding environment, the chair transforms into an intimate personal zone when occupied.

The form could not have been achieved through linear or parametric design logic. Instead, it emerged through an iterative process of continuous adjustment between visual intensity and physical comfort. The armrests, which receive the most direct contact, maintain sharp visual edges while offering a gentle and secure tactile experience.

This balance allows the chair to exist simultaneously as spatial sculpture and functional furniture.
Dimensions & Packaging: Width 740mm Depth 550mm Height 760mm Seated height 430mm
Tags: Chair, Furniture, Sculptural Design, Wood, Handmade, Emotional Design, Armchair, Spatial Object
Production Technology: Due to its complex organic geometry, Oruha Chair is extremely difficult to reproduce through industrial manufacturing or automated processes.
The chair was realized almost entirely by hand, using traditional Japanese planes and hand tools.

Rather than imposing a fixed form onto the material, the final shape emerged through direct dialogue with the wood, prioritizing tactile quality, structural integrity, and sculptural coherence. This process positions craftsmanship not as decoration, but as a design methodology.
Design Challenge: After extensive sketching and the creation of five clay models, translating the form into wood presented a fundamental challenge. There was no established woodworking methodology capable of directly realizing the intended geometry.

Through repeated trial and error, two full-scale prototypes were abandoned before completing this third iteration.
Because of the organic form, conventional symmetry, reference points, and measurement systems proved ineffective. Ultimately, the process required trusting sensory judgment and material feedback over numerical precision. This approach became inseparable from the final outcome.
Research: The designer’s background in video editing strongly influenced the conceptual framework of this project. Video editing is a practice of shaping emotional perception by controlling sequence, rhythm, and context.

Oruha Chair applies this editorial thinking to three-dimensional form.
Personal emotions and experiences were deconstructed and reassembled, not as narrative, but as physical tension, curvature, and spatial presence. The result is a chair that communicates emotionally through form rather than explanation.
Inspiration: Oruha Chair was inspired by the concept of waves, representing continuous transitions between tension and release.
Rather than designing a chair solely from ergonomic data or predefined typologies, this project approaches seating as an emotional and spatial experience shaped by contrast.

The form was developed as a response to the designer’s belief that emotions, like waves, can be edited, reorganized, and translated into physical presence. These transitions were carved directly into solid wood as flowing yet controlled organic curves.

Although the chair presents an edgy, sculptural appearance, sitting in it reveals a smooth, enveloping comfort. This intentional reversal between visual tension and bodily softness defines the core experience of Oruha Chair.
Project Duration: The project began in Kanagawa in January 2025 and ended in October 2025.
Operation Flow: Despite its expressive form, Oruha Chair provides stable and comfortable seating suitable for extended use.
Structural stability and load distribution were carefully examined through repeated physical testing, ensuring that the sculptural design does not compromise safety or usability.

Unlike many sculptural chairs that discourage everyday use, Oruha Chair is intended to be touched, sat on, and lived with.
Image Credits: Photography: Photographer Mitsuaki Takahashi, 2025
Video credit: Video editor Yuya Nakazawa, 2025
Sound: Soundtrack Composer Heitaro Ashibe, 2025