Hangzhou Stool

Hangzhou lies in the middle of the east coast of China. Having been the capital city of China in Song dynasty has made the culture and tradition of the city quite different from its neighbours. Together with a beautiful lake in the city center, they all have become great touristic resources of Hangzhou. Moreover, Hangzhou is considered a city filled with the most happiness and satisfaction in China. Life in Hangzhou is quite flexible and in slow rhythm. As a designer who has grown up in Hangzhou, Min Chen considers “flexibility” a good topic for his city. The Hangzhou Stool consists of 16 layers of bamboo veneer of the thickness of 0.9mm. Each one of the 16 bamboo veneers is different in length. They are bent in an arc shape and glued together at the last 25cm of each end. One piece of raw bamboo stick penetrates in the veneers and combines the two ends of the stool. 16 layers of bamboo veneer give a very special “arc” of the stool, just like the ripples on the water surface. When sit, the more weight the stool receives, the deeper the arc will be bent in the center, and therefore the more elasticity the user will feel.