Developing unique, original ideas for chairs can be a tough ask– chairs have been around forever. Still, perhaps due to their rich, eclectic history, chairs supply an endless source of inspiration for designers. Adding his own interpretation to the mix, Yunjae Lee, a Seoul-based product designer has taken to birch plywood and CNC-milling to design and construct a chair with three rounded legs, requiring no additional tools or hardware for assembly.
Before assembly, Yunjae Lee’s Tri-Round Chair breaks down to eleven separate pieces– reminiscent of IKEA projects. From the looks of it, the eleven pieces of Tri-Round Chair have been CNC-milled to fit into one another like a 3D puzzle. The chair’s center support structure is comprised of two wooden pieces that rest on the ground, providing stability for the chair from the ground up. One longer beam intersects and runs perpendicular to those two boards to connect additional support side legs that cradle the chair’s main seat and backrest. The complex interlocking formation of the Tri-Round Chair ensures stability and a solid structure.
Tri-Round Chair is built from birch plywood that measures 18mm in width. By using thick pieces of plywood, Yunjae Lee was able to create a chair with rounded legs that can support the chair’s weight without any bending or the use of additional hardware. Through innovative, original design, each piece of Tri-Round Chair seamlessly connects with one another to form a finished product that feels familiar while giving the traditional four-legged chair new energy, and one less leg.
Designer: Yunjae Lee
By joining each separate component together, Tri-Round Chair finds support through a complex interlocking building method.
Symmetrical and round by design, Tri-Round Chair comprises eleven separate pieces of birch plywood.
Through interlocking and overlaid assembly, Tri-Round Chair is stable enough to carry weight.
Yunjae Lee painted Tri-Round Chair a darker shade of brown, a sophisticated new look compared to natural plywood.
Before assembly, Tri-Round Chair can be seen as eleven separate pieces, echoing what might appear as a project from IKEA.