Pablo Castillo partners with Decibel on 3D-printed chair with under-seat storage

A bookshelf slots in below the cantilevered seat of Kino, a 3D-printed chair developed by Barcelona-based designer Pablo Castillo.

Castillo designed Kino for Decibel, an American company that specialises in 3D-printed furniture and installations. It is shortlisted for seating design of the year in the upcoming Dezeen Awards.

The designer’s aim was to create a recognisable chair silhouette, while also responding to the specificities of the 3D printing process.

The chair is essentially a monobloc, with a single component forming the T-shaped seat, two legs, the shelf and a curved backrest.

Its entire form is printed from PLA, the most common bioplastic, although the material is reinforced with cellulose plant fibres. This increases its strength, enabling the cantilevered seat.

Decibal also offers an outdoor version printed from recycled PETG, a thermoplastic polyester.

“I wanted the substantial thickness of the plastic and the way it builds a product layer by layer to translate into features that give the chair its character,” Castillo told Dezeen.

“Following this line of thought allowed me to move beyond mere dimensions and general ergonomic considerations,” the designer said.

“The cantilevered seat, the under-seat storage, and specific details such as the T-junctions naturally emerged.”

The seat’s T-shape was created by cantilevers both forwards and backwards. This makes the chair less rigid than a typical 3D-printed chair, improving comfort.

“By reinforcing the lower part of the seat with a corrugated structure integrated directly into the 3D print, we achieved a chair that offers a slightly broader range of motion than a traditional design,” Castillo said.

“It seamlessly accommodates highly reclined, relaxed postures, as well as more active positions when the user leans forward.”

Kino joins Decibel’s Editions collection, which also includes chairs by designers including Charles Birshaw, Karim Rashid and Deniz Aktay.

The New Jersey-based brand launched this collection with an exhibition at the Alcova show in Milan in 2025, when it was live-printing chairs in the former SNIA factory in Varedo.

The chairs are produced using a Caracol robotic 3D printer, which allows geometries that wouldn’t be possible with injection moulding.