Oruha チェア by Yuya Nakazawa is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award 金賞 in 家具デザイン Competition Category.
金家具· 2026
Oruha チェア
Client: Yedit
A' Design Award 金賞 Winner in 家具 Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #178435The Design
About Oruha チェア
このデザインは、公共の秘密基地として構想された座席を提示し、共有された環境の中で個人的な安らぎの場を提供します。その構造は、彫刻的な存在感と機能的な快適さを両立させ、長時間の使用と社会的な交流を支えます。曲面と丁寧に比率を整えた要素が、開放感を保ちながらも包み込まれるような感覚を生み出します。自然な仕上げは耐久性、メンテナンスの容易さ、そして優雅な経年変化を高め、触覚的な温かみを保ちながら、日常の生活空間に溶け込むことを可能にします。
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award 金賞
Oruha チェアは、まさに素晴らしく傑出した第一級のデザインに授与される、計り知れないほど権威ある評価である A' Design Award 金賞の受賞作品です。金賞の受賞作品は、きわめて革新的で、先見性に富み、きらびやかに輝く創造物であり、デザイナーの天才性、叡智、卓越した技量を映し出しています。Oruha チェアは、最も称賛される、流行を牽引する記念碑的な発明であり、前例のない価値をもたらすことが期待されます。この A' Design Award 金賞を受賞したデザインは、壮観で尊敬されるプロジェクトであり、芸術・科学・デザイン・技術の境界に大きく寄与し、それを前進させます。Oruha チェアは、強い欲求を生み出し、情熱を呼び覚まし、創造性を促し、私たちを引きつけます。
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
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