Yuna Yamashiro · CLIENT: Yuna Yamashiro
This stool draws inspiration from the sanshin, a traditional stringed instrument from Okinawa, Japan. Its warmth and string tension are expressed through natural wood, smooth curves, and tightly stretched cords. Cords across the seat allow everyday items to be clamped in place, creating moments of joy and comfort while evoking the presence and daily life of the user. Made using molded plywood, the stool achieves a smooth curve from legs to seat with layered wood ensuring strength, bringing warmth and gentle stimulation into daily living.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Okinawa's traditional sensibilities spread worldwide, exploring new design approaches that blend seamlessly into modern living. As an island nation, Okinawa has developed its own distinct culture. The sanshin possesses a uniquely warm tone and form found only in Okinawa. This stool incorporates these elements into its design.This stool is designed to integrate into everyday life. Such cross-cultural sensibilities will become a presence that brings stimulation to everyday life.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Width 500mm x Depth 300mm x Height 450mm
- Tags
- Design, Stool, Chair, Furniture, Furniture Design, Wood, Strings
- Production Technology
- The manufacturing process utilizes molded plywood, achieving gentle curves by applying pressure to bend the wood. The structure draws inspiration from the tension and stringing seen in Okinawan sanshin instruments, employing a multi-layered wood construction that ensures visual lightness while maintaining sufficient stability. Wood is carefully selected and utilized to convey the warmth and natural atmosphere of Okinawa.
- Design Challenge
- To bend wood using pressure, I created a mold. For clean bending, the wood must adhere tightly to the mold. Finding the right pressure application proved challenging one that ensures the wood stays firmly pressed against the mold while maintaining stability until the shape is fully set.
- Project Duration
- The project started in June 2025 in Okinawa and finished in September 2025 in Okinawa.
- Operation Flow
- Users can temporarily hold daily necessities and personal items by slipping them between the cords. Slipping favorite items into this stool can lift your spirits, while slipping in mementos can provide emotional comfort. The cords are also replaceable, allowing users to customize the color to match their preferences or room decor. The central opening in the seat is designed to fit the body comfortably, enhancing seating comfort, while the trapezoidal outward-spreading legs enable efficient stacking. This allows the stool to naturally blend into everyday life.
- Research
- Okinawa's traditional sensibilities spread worldwide, exploring of new design approaches that harmonize with contemporary living.As an island nation, Okinawa has developed its own distinct culture. The sanshin possesses a uniquely warm tone and form found only in Okinawa. In this stool, those elements are incorporated into the design through form, texture, and the experience of use. Such cross-cultural sensibilities will become a presence that brings stimulation to everyday life.
- Inspiration
- This stool draws inspiration from the Sanshin, Okinawa's traditional musical instrument. Its design incorporates the warm resonance produced by the sanshin's sound and the beauty of tension and harmony inherent in its stringed structure. Just as the Sanshin has been a constant companion in daily life in Okinawa, existing as a warm memory, This stool was designed to quietly receive moments of time and presence in everyday life, becoming an object that lingers in memory.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Yuna Yamashiro, Hiroto Nakamura, 2025. Image #2: Yuna Yamashiro, Hiroto Nakamura, 2025. Image #3: Yuna Yamashiro, Hiroto Nakamura, 2025. Image #4: Yuna Yamashiro, Hiroto Nakamura, 2025. Image #5: Yuna Yamashiro, Hiroto Nakamura, 2025.
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