Set of six model chairs “Kinu” designed by Motomi Kawakami for Arflex, Italy, 1983.
The Kinu chairs represent a masterful meeting between the sobriety of Japanese minimalism and Italian productive elegance, fully expressing the design philosophy of Motomi Kawakami, a designer trained in Japan and active in Milan, who collaborated with important Italian companies in the 1980s, bringing an essential vision, rigorous and at the same time poetic.
Arflex, a pioneer company in the experimentation of innovative materials and avant-garde forms, found in Kawakami an interlocutor capable of translating the rationalist language into a warm, welcoming and functional design, perfectly in line with the spirit of the decade.
The structure of the chairs, made of wood and finished with a bright red lacquer with a glossy finish, gives the seats an architectural connotation of great visual impact.
The lines are clear, geometric, but never cold: the horizontal armrests fit precisely into the overall design, accentuating the sculptural character of the model. This intense red is not a simple chromatic detail, but becomes an integral part of their aesthetic identity, a strong and sophisticated color that recalls both Italian modernism and the oriental tradition of saturated and symbolic tones.
The seat and backrest are covered in salmon-coloured velvet, a bold and refined color choice that delicately balances the strength of lacquered red.
The softness of the fabric dialogues with the hardness of the wooden structure, creating a sensorial and tactile balance that reflects Kawakami's focus on ergonomics and comfort. The result is a harmonious whole, capable of combining formal rigor and pleasantness of use, making these chairs ideal both for everyday use and for a collecting context.
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SILVER Seller in Bari, Italy
