Most furniture relies on invisible fasteners: screws, bolts, dowels, and glue. The Rope Stool dispenses with them. This piece of furniture, created as part of a cultural exchange between Japan and Sweden, holds together flat cedar boards solely through rope tension. It folds into a flat, compact kit.
The design is based on a simple principle: six identical flat boards of Japanese cedar connected by a rope. The rope tightens them, creating enough rigidity to support a person's weight. When the rope is loosened, the boards separate, allowing the stool to be disassembled into a flat state.
This simplicity makes it truly portable – easy to take to the market, workshop, or any event where temporary seating might be needed. Japanese cedar (sugi) is not chosen by chance: it is lightweight, strong, and has a straight grain. Its uniformity allows the boards to be used as interchangeable elements.
The entire logic of the construction is visible and understandable: tighten the rope – you get a stool, loosen it – you disassemble it. This is not a limitation, but a direct expression of the idea embedded in the object's foundation. This approach breaks the conventional understanding of furniture production, where design complexity is often hidden behind the exterior. Here, the simplicity and visibility of the fastening itself become part of the design.
This is not just a seat, but a demonstration of how to do without traditional hardware while maintaining functionality and adding portability. As a result, instead of the usual set of screws and glue, we get a construction where six flat boards and a rope form a stable seat capable of supporting the weight of an adult. This solution is not only aesthetically pleasing but also practical, allowing the stool to be easily disassembled and transported, making it ideal for temporary use in various settings.