While the marriage of Japanese and Scandinavian design principles continues to allure us, we seldom see it materialize in a fashion-centric ideation like this. The HidaHida Chair, a collaboration between celebrated architect Kengo Kama and Swedish furniture brand Gärsnäs, reimagines this cross-cultural dialogue with a refined balance of craftsmanship, materiality, and form. More than a piece of furniture, HidaHida wears its influences quite literally. It’s draped upholstery, inspired by the Japanese word hida (which means to drape), cascades like a tailored garment, effortlessly blending structure and softness. The pronounced stitching and flowing fabric evoke the artistry of couture – not on the runway, but in the quiet elegance of everyday life.
The journey to HidaHida began at home with a quiet admiration. Kuma, renowned for his contemporary architecture rooted in materiality and tradition, has long been drawn to the work of Åke Axelsson, Swedish interior architect, furniture maker, and joint owner of Gärsnäs. In Kuma’s own home, a Nomad table designed by Axelsson has stood for a decade, a testament to his appreciation for its lightness, ingenuity, and craftsmanship. “The lightness of Åke Axelsson’s furniture is what I most admire, but also there is a certain approach to living, a devotion to life itself,” shares Kuma. The inspiration from the table alone was enough for him to reach out to Gärsnäs, a family-owned company based in the village of Gärsnäs, Österlen, where Axelsson, alongside his daughter Anna Klockby and her husband Dag, has nurtured a legacy of fine woodworking. United by a deep respect for materials and artisanal techniques, Kuma and Gärsnäs embarked on a collaboration to merge Japanese and Scandinavian sensibilities into a singularly elegant expression.
The HidaHida Chair is defined by its unique and precise draping and its comfortable embrace of the sitter. “With HidaHida, I wanted to capture the softness of the human body’s form,” says Kuma. “Often the backs of chairs are hard, but here the felt is light and comfortable. The chair embraces you. A hanging skirt at the back elevates the chair’s conviviality and associates it with elegance and fashion. That’s what I wanted to express with HidaHida.”
At the core of the chair is a steam-bent wooden bow that unifies the entire design. This gently curved frame supports the seat, made from recycled felt and upholstered in fabric or leather. The material’s soft drape is reminiscent of a jacket casually slung over the back of a chair or the skirt of the user, just barely grazing the floor. This expressive detail brings an unexpected sense of movement to an otherwise static object and enhances the chair’s silhouette. Marrying traditional wood craftsmanship with upholstery techniques, HidaHida is an example of wine woodworking and a study in tactile comfort.
Kengo Kuma
To learn more about the HidaHida chair by Kengo Kuma for Gärsnäs, visit garsnas.se.
Photography courtesy of Gärsnäs and Kengo Kuma.