Dezeen Magazine

Karimoku New Standard's wooden chairs stack like supermarket trolleys

Milan 2015: Japanese wood furniture manufacturer Karimoku New Standard will present space-saving dining furniture by German designer Christian Haas in Milan next week.

Scout by Christian Haas for Karimoku New Standard

The Scout collection features dining chairs that stack like supermarket trolleys and an accompanying table with detachable legs, all made from Japanese oak.

Scout by Christian Haas for Karimoku New Standard

Karimoku New Standard describes the pieces as "innovative, joyful yet functional objects that are made to suit the ways of urban living".

The chairs come in a moss green, pale pink, red or plain wood colour and are all treated with a transparent matt finish.

Scout by Christian Haas for Karimoku New Standard

The design consists of five interwoven pieces. A simple, curved seat is supported by a pair of straight legs at the front, while a backrest with a deep curve is attached to the top of the angular rear legs.

A computer numerically controlled (CNC) cutting machine is used to carve each chair leg, as well as the connecting horizontal bar. This method employs a router to carve a shape prescribed by a digital model from a block of solid wood.

Scout by Christian Haas for Karimoku New Standard

The pieces are then finished and assembled by hand. "This reflects Karimoku's concept of 'high-tech and high-touch'," the brand's creative director David Glaettli told Dezeen.

Because the chairs are designed for use in modern living spaces, they can be stacked in a horizontal line so their seats overlap to save space when not in use.

Scout by Christian Haas for Karimoku New Standard

"The Scout chair is conceived as a compact, versatile seat with the comfort of an armchair," added Glaettli.

The dining table is available in a round, square or rectangular design with a clear, natural finish. Each version uses the same modular legs, which can be detached from the tabletop to allow for flat-pack transportation.

Scout by Christian Haas for Karimoku New Standard

The company use hardwoods including maple, chestnut and oak to manufacture the designs. The wood is taken from underused, low-diameter trees in the forests of North Japan to prevent the lumber being turned into scrap or discarded.

"A piece of furniture should last at least as long as the tree it was made from," the brand believes.

Scout by Christian Haas for Karimoku New Standard

The Scout collection marks the first collaboration between the Japanese firm and the Portugal-based ceramics and glassware designer Christian Haas.

"For me it was very appealing to work with a designer that was established and experienced, but not in the field of furniture design," Glaettli told Dezeen. "I felt that in this case this gave Christian's design the fresh approach of a young designer, but carried out with the experience of a veteran."

Scout by Christian Haas for Karimoku New Standard

The collection will debut next week at the Salone del Mobile furniture fair in Milan, where the company have previously presented its low Castor chair by Swiss studio Big-Game and a folding trestle table made in partnership with Spanish designer Tomás Alonso.