New chair designs at the 2007 Tokyo Design Week

Chairs, chairs and more chairs! Sofas, couches, stools, settees – there was no shortage of seating models showcased at an exhibit titled 100% Design during Tokyo Design Week, which was held recently in Japan. Seats that could function in homes, as hotel chairs or as commercial bistro chairs; the event featured not just chairs by Japanese designers that were shown; many, many designers and design agencies from all over the world participated and shared their products with Japan and the rest of the world.

Though Tokyo Design Week wasn’t just about chairs, they nevertheless did get their share of the spotlight. In this post, MoCo Loco shows some of those that were featured at the 100% Design event. As I saw from just the pictures, the chairs at the exhibition were all over the place in terms of design: from straight and simple lines to smooth and flowing curves. Some of them would look great in a restaurant setting. Take for instance a stool from Metal-holic; it practically looks like it belongs in a bar. Created in Holland’s blue-and-beige armchair and settee, on the other hand, wouldn’t look out of place in the reception area of a casual restaurant.

Maybe some of the chairs and seating options there might seem too radical or unsuitable for certain dining establishments, but they would probably fit right in with the themes of others. Fredrik Mattson’s red, curving seat for Bla Station, for instance, would probably not be the best choice for a fine dining establishment, but for a restaurant with an avant-garde concept, it would look great. So would his gold-colored chair, also made for Bla Station.

It’s always great to read about furniture shows and design shows, you never know what kind of ideas designers come up with. Some are weird, some are wonderful, occasionally they’re both.