Cord chair, designed by nendo (Oki Sato) in collaboration with Maruni Wood Industries, Maple and stainless steel, 2009

The extraordinarily thin frame of this chair (15mm) was achieved by using a steel frame onto which was clad a maple veneer. The maple was carved, by hand, into hollow sections only 3 mm thick. These pieces were then clad around the 9 mm steel rods that make up the frame. The seat is made from solid maple, with hollowed-out channels on its underside into which the steel slots. The back rest is also solid maple, and fits over a steel rod at its upper edge. Once fully assembled, the steel is only visible on the base of the feet, when the chair is turned upside-down.

The chair's slender, rounded legs are straight at the front with a very slight flare at the front top, where they meet the seat. The back legs and back uprights are each formed from one single piece - curving gently inwards to meet the seat, this piece then extends outward to form the back uprights. The chair has an open back, with a narrow back rest at the very top of the uprights. The back rest is slightly recessed and curves upwards and downwards at both ends to seamlessly connect with the uprights. The seat widens at its front. All angles and rails are rounded at their edges, emphasising the smooth fluidity of the design. The seat is figured with symmetrical grain patterns which work to set of the various angles and lines of the legs.

Purchased by the Outset Design Fund

Created by Tokyo-based design firm nendo as an edition of eight, the 'Cord Chair' was developed in collaboration with high-end Japanese wood manufacturer Maruni. It was first presented in 2009 during nendo's solo exhibition at New York's Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) , 'Ghost Stories: New Designs by nendo'. The Cord Chair recieved the Wallpaper* Design Award for Best Chair in 2010. That same year, nendo founder Oki Sato developed the next generation of Cord Chair - the Wire Chair - an even thinner version in which the wood cladding has been stripped down and coated for outdoor use.

Nendo was founded by Japanese designer Oki Sato in 2002. Initially based in Tokyo, the firm opened a second Milan studio in 2005. Nendo has a wide international scope, and is represented in many major museum collections. These nclude MoMA and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, The Musee des Arts Decoratifs and the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Holon Design Museum in Israel.

The Japanese wood-manufacturer Maruni was founded in 1928. The firm has become renowned for its successful combination of craft skills with industrial production. In the early 2000s, the company invited leading designers to contribute to their 'NextMaruni' collection - a group of pieces intended to develop a Japanese vernacular for the global market. Maruni now regularly collaborate with international designers.

The Cord Chair relates to a longer history of lightweight chairs, in particular Gio Ponti's 1957 'Superleggera' (CIRC.325-1970). While Ponti employed the natural strength of ash to create his impossibly slender chair, here nendo's use of a thin wooden cladding allows the Cord Chair to emphasise the decorative qualities of the maple. The steel structure liberates the wood from its traditional role as a supporting body and gives way to a free exploration of its material qualities. The design manages to be at once highly witty and highly elegant. It draws attention not only to the process of construction and the materials used, but also, through its almost transparent thiness, to the space surrounding the object.

number 3 of edition of 8

An almost impossibly thin and transparent design, the 'Cord Chair' was created by Tokyo-based design firm nendo, in collaboration with Japanese wood manufacturer Maruni. The chair's breathtaking thinness was achieved by cladding a steel frame in 3 mm thick, hand-carved maple veneers. This clever and witty construction creates a chair that seems to float and evaporate into the air, a design which appears unable to support any weight but still works in practical terms as a seat.

W.27-2011