Exhibition: Nychair X
Nychair X is a versatile folding chair first launched over 55 years ago. Its simple, elegant, functional design is rooted in Japanese lifestyle and cultural heritage, where furniture sits lower to the ground and rooms serve multiple functions throughout the day.
This month, as part of Shoreditch Design Week (15–20th September), the largest official district of the London Design Festival, the store will feature this classic chair in a range of colourways. Please pop in and take the weight off your feet!
Takeshi Nii started making furniture in 1952 after completing a woodworking course in Tokushima Prefecture and from early on was focused on folding furniture, eventually devoting his life to the pursuit of a perfect folding chair.
His collaborator, Makoto Shimazaki, a design director and leading expert on Scandinavian design in Japan, distilled Nii's philosophy into six attributes a chair should have: comfort, durability, affordability, light-weight, beautiful form and stability, even when folded.
First designed in 1970, Nychair X - a steel-frame chair made with hard wearing Kurashiki sail cloth and wooden armrests comprised all six, and remains the defining achievement of his life's work. It won the Good Design Award in Japan and features in the MOMA permanent collection.
The ideas that guided Nii are still relevant today. The chair's foldability and light weight make it well-suited to modern, modular spaces, where work and leisure mix. Its simple to move around the office or home as needed. The chair is also made with few components and this simplicuty means it can be easily repaired, contributing to a longer life.
The designer once said he wanted to "make a chair people could enjoy much like a bicycle, that would blend just as seamlessly in people's everyday lives". It's a philosophy that reflects the tokyobike approach to bicycles - considered, functional, accessible design, meant for daily use rather than decoration. So it feels natural to feature this classic design alongside our bicycles.
Nychair X will be on display at tokyobike Shoreditch from 15th September as part of Shoreditch Design Week and the London Design Festival.
