In the Seating Furniture Studio at the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), design is an exercise in extreme subtraction. First-year architecture and interior architecture students are challenged to construct full-scale, functional chairs using only a restricted kit of pre-cut wooden sticks and plywood. The resulting pieces represent a decade of pedagogical focus on structural clarity and material economy.
The projects range from a Bauhaus-inspired ergonomic chair to a bench formed through the wet-bending of wooden slats. These experiments culminate in the "Manifesto of Lightness," an exhibition curated by Finnish designer Ilkka Suppanen for Milan’s SaloneSatellite 2026. The collection serves as a physical argument for "responsible choices"—demonstrating that strength and comfort do not require an abundance of material, but rather a more precise understanding of engineering and form.
By forcing students to work within such tight parameters, the EKA curriculum reframes the chair as a modular problem-solving tool. In an era where industrial design is increasingly scrutinized for its carbon footprint, these skeletal forms offer a vision of sustainability rooted in minimalism. It is a reminder that the most durable designs are often those that do the most with the least.
With reporting from Dezeen.
Source · Dezeen