-we-are-family-

jun'ya ishigami's 'family chairs' is a charming set of knobbly steel chairs fashioned into family archetypes like the patriarch, matriarch and baby incarnated into furniture. manufactured by living divani in italy, they first popped up on design boom in may. but now that the weather is colder, ishigami has thoughtfully refurnished his clan in some cozy couture:



for his installation 'picnic' at the interieur biennale in kortrijk, belgium, ishigami gathered all the relatives of 'family chairs' and threw them a winter wonderland garden party!
he outfitted each of his quirky-shaped chairs in warm creamy knit hats and socks and set them up in pairs and groups mimicking the social interaction of humans. some chairs huddled in the corner like sisters sharing secrets, some were placed in semi circles like a boisterous crew of aunts and uncles bickering and some were lined up neatly like a couple of grannies observing quietly from their wheelchairs. each chair was injected with a sense of liveliness and personality that the designer hoped would elevate the status of his furniture from being purely functional to having social function, to encourage humans to interact more freely like his casually arranged chairs.

seriously, i can't stop starring at the little crochet booties each chair is wearing. im pretty sure NO fluffy kitten or plump baby can be cuter than these skinny steel stems covered in yarn! is that weird?
also, although the idea of dressing furniture in 'clothes' sounds like a seniors home diy project gone wrong, somehow ishigami executes his 'light and white world' in a non-unbearably precious way. each of the five chair designs already resemble human bodies, one is squat and short ( like a beer bellied dad), one is lean and crooked (aka awkward prepubescent boy), so knitting them winter gear doesn't look contrived but actually quite fitting. and each monochromatic accessory like the teeny tiny bow tie, granny sweater with rounded collar and covered buttons, or crochet flower pin add just the right amount of charm and whimsy, never looking too gimmicky.
the more i stare at these photos the more i'm smitten by them. i'm truly inspired by ishigami's ability to breathe life and character into something as simple as a standard metal chair. how the imperfection of an uneven curvature in the back of the chair can instantly transform a basic chaise into one that looks like it's cocking it's head at you, interacting with you, so much so that putting a scarf on it makes complete sense. the concept, execution and aesthetic looks so inherently japanese; cute and poetic, austere and minimal all at the same time.
as he use to be apart of superstar architecture firm SANAA, this is probably childsplay for him. love love love junya ishigami.