Zepher chair
IE-032 arm chair
W574×D542×H795×SH455×AH620
Beech – Soap / Black / Charcoal grey / Snow white / Dark wenge
Walnut – Beeswax
Fabric upholstered / Leather upholstered
The original model of this chair was made 10 years ago in 2006. The characteristic zig-zag line of the
chair’s back from the stile to the rear leg brought a completely new design in creating innovative
chairs. To reduce the amount of material and cost, a chair is designed to have a shape that uses a
primary board (solid wood board to cut out legs) that is as small as possible since the stile and rear
leg is made out of one solid wood material. The shape of this chair may seem to require a large
wood piece. However, we found an effective element in producing this chair that cannot be identified
by its appearance. This chair was born from our endeavor to create a chair that was thought to be
impossible together with the people in the furniture factory.
In 2011, the edges of the frame of the original model made in 2006 were chamfered and whittled as
a trial production. Conventionally, although the chair’s zig-zag shape and sharp lines gave a fresh
impression, it lacked a harmonious effect in the overall design. To solve this problem, the edges of
stiles and rear legs were whittled to form a gentle curve, which created a beautiful line on the back
of the chair drastically changing its impression. This became the turning point of this chair making
it the most manufactured chair among our arm chair products. There are other difficult elements in
producing this chair in addition to the rear legs and stiles. To connect each part in a natural form, the
backboard is bent and joined with stiles before chamfering and whittling the backboard upper end
and stiles since the backboard is made of solid wood. The seat frame is shaved gradually to form
a curved surface toward the inside to give an appearance of having a thin seat while maintaining
its strength. The “butt joint” method that requires high accuracy was applied for joining each part
to obtain a smooth joint surface. This method created a seamless and harmonious appearance to
the chair as a whole. A groove is provided normally on a joint surface to hide cracks generated by
expansion and contraction of wood. However, the design characteristic and harmonious aspect of
the butt joint were prioritized with this chair.
A feature we considered the most important with this chair was to be smooth when touched by
hand. During the finishing process, we check all corners and surfaces by hand particularly areas
where people may place their hands or where it may contact the skin while sitting down or moving
the chair. The smooth and pleasant feeling this chair offers to users was very important for us. Our
desire was to make this chair smooth to the touch and offer everyday comfort. This is now one of the
chairs that represent our company’s workmanship.