Musubi Banco by Mizuki Chinen is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award de Prata in Design de Mobiliário Competition Category.

PrataMobiliário· 2025

Musubi Banco

by Mizuki Chinen

Client: Chinen Mizuki

A' Design Award de Prata Winner in Mobiliário Category

148,688

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #169688

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Musubi Banco

Este banco foi inspirado na palavra Musubi. Musubi é um antigo conceito xintoísta japonês, e é a ideia de que as coisas e a vida são formadas pela conexão de vários elementos. A forma deste banco é baseada no motivo de um laço Mizuhiki. Quando visto de frente, o design é linear, mas quando visto de um ângulo, o assento apresenta uma curva suave. Quando não está em uso, pode ser dobrado para armazenamento compacto. Pode ser facilmente montado apenas inserindo as peças, sem usar pregos ou parafusos.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Prata

Musubi Banco conquistou o A' Design Award de Prata, um reconhecimento extraordinariamente prestigiado atribuído a designs de topo de gama, deslumbrantes e impressionantes. Os vencedores da Prata são obras tremendamente brilhantes e extremamente criativas que ilustram a perícia, o talento e a acuidade excecionais dos seus designers. Espera-se que Musubi Banco seja uma obra maravilhosa e de referência, notavelmente profissional e profundamente inovadora. Este design vencedor do A' Design Award de Prata é uma invenção muito notável e admirada, que beneficia e faz avançar as fronteiras da arte, da ciência, do design e da tecnologia. Musubi Banco é uma criação imensamente invejada que desperta desejos, traz sentimentos positivos e faz nascer espanto e deslumbramento.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

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.
Dimensions & Packaging: 410mm x 230 mm x 430 mm
Tags: Design, Chair, Furniture, Furniture Design
Production 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.
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.
Research: We researched how to incorporate traditional Japanese techniques and materials into the design.
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.
Project Duration: The project started in January 2025 in Okinawa.
Operation Flow: 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.