Emerging French designer Rémi Bouhaniche has unveiled a chair that he created by folding "a trapezoidal shape of foam and fabric like origami" (+ slideshow).
The Toa chair, produced by French brand Ligne Roset, has a natural or black-stained solid ash base and is reinforced by two mechanically soldered steel frames.
The chair, along with a companion footstool, is upholstered in polyester, with a seat cushion made of high-resilience polyurethane foam.
"To create the Toa, I folded a trapezoidal shape of foam and fabric like origami," said the designer. "I placed this cushiony piece on a wooden structure to make it more elegant and light."
The chair's name is derived from "toi" – the French word for "you." Bouhaniche said he wanted to create a chair that was focused on the user's comfort.
"It was my first inspiration: how to create furniture that is close to all of us, that makes our home more comfortable, more personal," said the designer. "Comfort is a timeless and universal feeling that touches everyone's culture."
The designer said he could envision the chair upholstered in cotton for a casual setting, wool for a "chic country residence," and leather for a more formal setting, such as a business lounge.
Bouhaniche said the commission came about after he spontaneously submitted the chair's design to Ligne Roset's owner, Michel Roset, in 2012. He then met Roset in 2013 at an event in France.
"While I was showcasing a couple of products in Saint Etienne in October 2013, Michel Roset told me the Toa will be developed," said the designer. "The collaboration started at this point of time."
Based in Lyon, Bouhaniche's studio creates furniture, products, stage sets and interior design.
He studied at the École Supérieure d'Art et Design de Saint-Étienne (ESADSE) and was a student of noted designers Eric Jourdan and François Bauchet, both of whom "influenced him greatly". In 2009, shortly after graduating, he unveiled the Etirement light, which is dimmed by distorting its surface.
Other products recently released by Ligne Roset include paper-thin lollipop-shaped lamps by Réne Barba and a lamp by Quentin de Coster that looks like a flashlight suspended from the ceiling.