The Spider chair is a part of the collection of custom made teakwood furniture designed for a residence in Kerala. This is crafted by Vasith Jaffer and team from Makaaram wood studio, Kottayam.
The brief provided by the client was to design a comfortable chair for a verandah . The design style to be inspired from mid-century chairs.
We studied different possibilities and arrived at a form and structure which is not a direct copy of the midcentury chair.
But tries to achieve the lightness, elegance with scope for expressing the craftsmanship.
The profiles and joints were detailed to work as a wholesome unit.
Vasith did a good job in identifying the right wood with grains and relevant joinery detailing.
The primary inspiration for the form was that of a “horse shoe” which became the arm from which the rest of the elements were built around.
The wooden sections were made to appear lighter without compromising on the structural strength.
The curved backrest was made out from a single block of wood, whereas the seat was made from a combination of 4 pieces.
Traditional wooden nails were used for joints.
Samples were made for the legs and the most elegant profiles were selected.
The arm rest inspired from the shape of a horse shoe.
Most of the decisions were made over the phone and involved exchanges like these.
This is how the backrest was designed from a sample made of cardboard.
Following sketches show the design development of the chair and explorations.
Design team – Rijesh
Execution – Vasith and team
Photography – Special thanks to Vasith and Firoz!
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