Tsubomi Chair
By Alicita Rodriguez on Friday, August 29th, 2008
Tsubomi Chair. Designed and manufactured by Leif.designpark.
The first indication that Leif.designpark is a clever design team comes from their whimsical homepage, where a cartoon series of building debacles eventually forms their logo, Leif. Made up of three designers who “collaborate with artists of various fields,” the Japan-based Leif seeks out “new possibilities and unexpected discoveries.” And the Tsubomi Chair defines their viewpoint.
According to the Leif website, the Tsubomi “was born from an image of a bright future,” which may serve to explain its interesting chartreuse color. This color mimics nature, perhaps a strange moss. Its elemental hue is no mistake: Leif compares the Tsubomi to a flower growing in KuKunochi’s Forest, the Shinto god of trees. Root-like and branch-like, the lounge chair’s backrest extends towards the sky in organic growths—making the user of the Tsubomi a metaphorical bud.
From within the inflorescence, you will undoubtedly relax—germinating slowly in your own life cycle. The Tsubomi is a lounge chair, after all. It sits low on the ground, close to the earth, spreading like the very moss it represents. Let’s get this straight: this is not a chair for working or dining. You must lounge. I can see a rhizomatic group of them inside a stylish cocktail lounge like New Zealand’s Bar Zazu or a modern athenaeum like Koolhaus’ Seattle Public Library.
Popularity: 12% [?]
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