London Design Festival Open Call - Summer 2025
Bauhaus-Ming Chair 2 - Entry
Inspired by the chairs in my parents’ living room - too precious to sit on, always reserved for guests - my proposal of the Horseshoe Stool is a tribute. At first glance, it recalls Breuer’s Cesca, with its Bauhaus cantilever. But upon further inspection, Chinese allusions begin to emerge.
The crest rail curves like those of Ming dynasty horseshoe chairs, scrolling at the ends. The splat is absent, but suggested by two vertical 1” tubes that intersect with the crest rail. The spandrels, made from 0.5” steel tube, loop and intersect. Playful, but still purposeful, they support the seat, brace the crest, and strengthen the cantilever. At the center, a rosewood seat nods to huanghuali (yellow flowering pear or yellow rosewood)— a wood used in high level Chinese carpentry. It rests between 1” steel tubes like a memory held in tension, where past and present meet in form.
