Press Release
Jun Nakano Receives the Bronze A' Design Award for Tha Chair in Furniture Design
Jun Nakano recognized for furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Tha Chair by Jun Nakano has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached 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 Bronze A' Design Award Means
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
About Tha Chair
Tha is a four legged armchair that can be stacked from the front as well as the back. This is a revolutionary idea in chair history, already patented and very convenient. It can easily and smoothly be stacked with a slight lift from the back, even if the table is in front. Nothing has been sacrificed in design or seating comfort for this feature. It is designed with simple lines that do not require excessive handwork.
About Jun Nakano
He is a woodworker, chair maker, furniture designer, fine woodcraft artist and Japanese "URUSHI" Lacquer artist. He continue to challenge new designs while passing on the traditional techniques of woodwork to future generations. Since he designs based on reliable production technology, he can proceed from idea to trial production and commercialization in a short time. And he can design and produce everything from small items to interiors.
Award Record
This recognition makes Jun Nakano 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. It 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. Typical entries include chairs, tables, sofas, beds, cabinets and shelves. The awarded furniture designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/furniture
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is 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. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously 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. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which 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, uploading a work and receiving a 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. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/161465
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/161465
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!161465
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/279406
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://x.gd/xwTFp
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
- Tha Chair
- Function
- Chair
- Category
- Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Black, Rosy Brown, Dark Slate Gray, Light Gray and Silver
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Jun Nakano
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2023 - 2024
- Design ID
- #161465
Credits
- Image Credits
- All image and video rights are reserved by Jun Nakano.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- "THA Chair" is a four-legged armchair that can be stacked not only from the front but also from the back. This is a revolutionary idea in the history of chairs and is very convenient. For example, if you want to stack regular chairs with a table in front, it is very difficult to pull the chairs out wide and stack them from the front. Additionally, it must be raised to seat height. Meanwhile, this chair can be stacked smoothly with only a slight lift.
- Inspiration
- Why did we never question the fact that chairs can only be stacked from the front? To eliminate this inconvenience, we improved the positioning and processing of the legs and armrests so that they could be stacked from the back. This patented idea and structure can also be applied to steel chairs, creating a new trend in stackable chair design.
- Research
- Regular stackable chairs cannot be stacked from the back, regardless of whether they have armrests or not. And in the history of chair design, which is said to have a history of 4,000 years, armchairs that can be stacked from the back have not become popular at all. The improved positioning of the armrests and front legs contributes to this innovative feature.
- Challenge
- This structure had problems with its strength, but by making the legs and armrests thinner, it was able to flexibly withstand the load. It has a structure that does not sacrifice functionality or comfort as a chair. The name THA comes from the silhouette of the chairs when lined up.
- Realization and Technology
- The curved surface of the backrest is smooth and provides firm back support. The armrest is composed of straight lines and curved lines, which eliminates excessive manual work and contributes to cost reduction. The aim was to create a simple and functional design that eliminates unnecessary decorations. The structure is also very simple and does not require any moving parts to flip up the seat like traditional nesting chairs.
- Operation and Interaction
- You can stack the chairs in different ways depending on the situation, such as from the back if the table is in front of you, or from the front if it is leaning against a wall. When stacked from the front, they have the same functionality as regular chairs, but when stacked from the back, they don't have to be lifted as high and are even more functional. This is especially important if you are loading the cart high up.
- Project Duration and Location
- We applied for a patent and design in 2019, presented a prototype of this chair design in Tokyo in 2021, updated it further, and exhibited it at the IFFT Tokyo International Furniture Fair in March 2024. The prototype has been completed and sales are about to begin.
- Specifications
- Width 650mm x Depth 540mm x Height 820mm
- Keywords
- Chair, Stacking, Furniture, Patented, Innovative
