Long before it became a chair, this piece lived as a tree––rooted in the forests of southern Japan, shaped by weather, and marked by a hundred years of growth. The Century Chair, designed by Satoshi Itasaka of the design labo, carries that story into the present, carved from a single block of solid wood so its history remains visible in every line and ring. At a time when most things are made fast and disposable, this chair stands as a reminder of what real materials can hold: a story, a soul, and a tangible piece of time that can’t be replicated.
The origin of the Century Chair started with a stark realization: we’ve slipped into a world where imitation has quietly replaced the real thing. Plastic dressed as wood, synthetic plants in sunless corners, and inorganic surfaces engineered to look natural. It’s everywhere, and we’ve stopped questioning it. Itasaka’s response wasn’t to reject modern life, but to reintroduce honesty, beginning with solid wood, carved in its truest form.
Working with a sawmill in southern Japan’s forest-rich region of Miyazaki, Itasaka sources sustainably harvested timber from trees more than a century old. It’s a material whose depth can’t be copied. Every ring, line, and shift in grain is formed by time, not technique. Through careful sawing, drying, and hand-finishing, he brings that history forward. From a single block, the Century Chair emerges as both furniture and witness: a piece shaped by a hundred years, designed to last for many more.
The Century Chair presents a striking silhouette: angular, sculptural, and carved entirely from a single wooden mass. From the side, its geometry reveals a deliberate tension between thin and thick planes. A sharp, upright backrest contrasts with a wide, grounded base. The grain is visible across every surface, emphasizing the fact that this form wasn’t assembled but released from within the timber itself.
A testament to lasting material, the Century Chair holds onto its past honestly, without veneers or shortcuts. In a world full of surfaces made to look like something they’re not, Itasaka brings the gravitas of the forest into everyday living.
To learn more about the Century Chair designed by Satoshi Itasaka, visit h220430.jp.
Photography by Ikuo Kubota / Yoshitaka Furukawa.
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