Yuna Yamashiro's Strings Stool presents a continuous bent plywood form executed in pale honey-toned wood with visible lamination striations along its exposed edges, establishing an immediate dialogue…

Yuna Yamashiro's Strings Stool presents a sophisticated exploration of spatial geometry and material interaction through a tripartite compositional structure that balances organic curvature with…

Pale wood laminated into gently curved vertical slats forms the structural foundation of this functional seating design, each element precisely spaced and joined at top and bottom rails through…

Yuna Yamashiro's Strings Stool presents a virtuosic meditation on material expression and structural transparency through the interplay of pale hardwood and cobalt-wrapped tensile elements, revealing…

Bronze Furniture · 2026

Strings Stool

by Yuna Yamashiro

Bronze A' Design Award 2026 in Furniture
CLIENT: Yuna Yamashiro
Estimated Number of Design Views: 10,082
Verification code 7D456F1E4E · Verify this award

View at A' Design Award Press Release

Colors

About Strings Stool

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.

About the Bronze A' Design Award

Strings Stool is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Strings Stool is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Strings Stool splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.

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.
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.
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.
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.