Press Release
Musubi Stool by Mizuki Chinen Receives the Silver A' Design Award in Furniture Design
Mizuki Chinen recognized for furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 19, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ Musubi Stool by Mizuki Chinen, designed for Chinen Mizuki, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The recognition forms part of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Silver A' Design Award Means
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
More 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.
About Mizuki Chinen
Mizuki Chinen is a young designer based in Okinawa, Japan. She creates products, mainly furniture, inspired by Japanese traditions and the nature of her hometown, Okinawa. She mainly works on woodworking, but also incorporates a variety of materials such as metal and fabric. She strives to create products that are not only beautiful but also highly practical, bringing joy to the daily lives of those who use them.
Award Record
Mizuki Chinen is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Furniture Design Award
The A' Furniture Design Award is an international furniture competition recognizing good furniture designs by best furniture designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to furniture designers, product designers, industrial design studios and furniture brands from all countries. Typical entries include chairs, tables, sofas, beds, cabinets and shelves. The awarded furniture designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/furniture
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/169688
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/169688
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!169688
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/353254
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Musubi Stool
- Function
- Stool
- Category
- Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Snow, Sienna, Saddle Brown, Peru and Light Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Chinen Mizuki
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Mizuki Chinen
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #169688
Design Details
- 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.
- 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.
- Research
- We researched how to incorporate traditional Japanese techniques and materials into the 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.
- Realization and 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.
- Operation and Interaction
- 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.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in January 2025 in Okinawa.
- Specifications
- 410mm x 230 mm x 430 mm
- Keywords
- Design, Chair, Furniture, Furniture Design
