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Press Release

DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Shigeki Matsuoka Is Honored with the Golden A' Design Award for Tie Chair in Furniture Design

Shigeki Matsuoka honored for furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 23, 2021 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Golden A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category for Tie Chair by Shigeki Matsuoka, designed for Koma.Co.,Ltd. The result belongs to the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Golden A' Design Award Means

The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

About Tie Chair

Tie is a wooden bench designed for two people to sit side by side. The seat and backrest are carved by hand from a solid block of wood, so no bent wood, cushions or springs are used. Traditional Japanese hand planes and knives shape the curves and keep the natural beauty of the wood visible. The curved backrest lets two people seated together rest close to one another. Tie suits dining, reading with the legs stretched out, or lying down in different positions. The current form was completed in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.

About Shigeki Matsuoka

Shigeki Matsuoka is a furniture designer, craftsman, and the head of furniture studioKOMA. He is a furniture craftsman who knows how to create chairs that are not only beautiful to look at, but also strong, structurally sound, and durable. Every part of the chair has a meaning and is made up of the minimum number of parts necessary to create a beautiful chair that is comfortable to sit on and touch. He is also committed to the development of young people.

Award Record

This recognition makes Shigeki Matsuoka a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Furniture Design Award

The A' Furniture Design Award is an international furniture competition recognizing good furniture designs by best furniture designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to furniture designers, product designers, industrial design studios and furniture brands from all countries. Entries typically include chairs, tables, sofas, beds, cabinets and shelves. Awarded furniture designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/furniture

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Tie Chair
Function
Chair
Category
Furniture Design
Discipline
Industrial Design
Industry
Furniture & Home
Colors
Saddle Brown, Dark Olive Green, Sienna, Dark Slate Gray and Dim Gray
Images
5
Client
Koma.Co.,Ltd

The Recognition

Laureate
Shigeki Matsuoka
Country
Japan
Recognition
Golden A' Design Award
Edition
2020 - 2021
Design ID
#111873

Credits

Image Credits
photo= Franco Tadeo Inada movie Director=Masato Iwai

Design Details

Unique Properties
It is created by carving a solid block of wood with a knife in order to achieve perfect seating comfort. This expresses a level of comfort that cannot be achieved with bent wood, cushions or springs. Japanese hand tool planes and knives are essential for this.
Inspiration
The tie chair 2020 is carved with the concept a chair that helps couples get along. Furniture meant to rest one's body, we believe the chair's height and angle of the seating and coping boards, the strength to withstand weight and body movement and other components allow for infinite possibilities. We feel that pursuing the beauty of the chair, to all intents and purposes, is as important as the function it serves. We want it to satisfy the space and time we spend on it to be elegant and meaningful. As a seating for dining or to kick up your feet to enjoy your favorite book, it should suite any desired situation comfortably.
Research
Every part of the product should have a meaning.It should have an excellent function.This is the ultimate in simplicity.We believe that the pursuit of simplicity results in beautiful design.
Challenge
It is a chair that requires daily training and skill as a craftsman. From the first model to the current model, it took us seven years to create the current model. The chair is not only beautiful, but it is also very comfortable to sit in and to touch.
Realization and Technology
Usingtraditional Japanese hand tools, the beautiful lines of our furniture are individually hand carved, and not bent, to showcase the natural beauty of wood. We don't use automation machines, but we are developing them as a product.
Operation and Interaction
The tie chair can be used in the same way as a standard wooden bench. You can sit comfortably with your legs stretched out, or you can lie down and assume various positions.
Project Duration and Location
The "tie chair 2020" in its current form was completed in 2020 after repeated model changes since 2013. It is manufactured in Tokyo, Japan.
Specifications
W1780mm D700mm H760mm SH400mm
Keywords
chair, bench, furniture, wood, Japan, Tokyo, craftsmanship

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