Chowa Furniture · 01
Chowa Chair
Crafted in Halikko, Finland with Made by Choice. Drawn in New York, in Japanese proportion.
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The beginning
Chowa began with the box. Our showroom inspired the Chowa Chair, reflecting the same devotion to craft, harmony, and restraint. Rooted in Japan’s chowa philosophy and New York’s spirit, it embodies quiet statement.
From a box to a chair
Why we made a chair
With a crafts soul of box making, applied to chair design.
Inspired by a circa-1900 Pennsylvania drugstore chair discovered while sourcing antiques for the Chowa Library, Ray Suzuki reimagined its Shaker and Amish influences into the Chowa Chair—a signature piece blending American craftsmanship with contemporary Japanese sensibility.
SKETCH BY RAY SUZUKI
Every Chowa Chair is crafted to order in Halikko, Finland.
Halikko, Finland
A friend in Finland
We went to a friend in Finland whose grandmother co-founded Artek, the company built around Alvar Aalto's practice. The chair is made in two traditions at once: Finnish wood and joinery, Japanese proportion and design language.
Production partner · Made by Choice · Halikko
The design
Geometry, and the shape a hand carves
The frame is geometric and flat-sided, set out from an octagon. The seat and legs are carved, thickened and thinned where a body and a floor require it. Neither reading wins.
- Width 460 mm
- Depth 452.8 mm
- Height 740 mm
- Seat height 430 mm
- Back rest 3.5 in
- Corner 45°
Design drawing · 2024/10/28 · S=1/10
The process
Drawn, and drawn again
It began in pencil on a workbench, the same chair drawn over and over until the proportion settled. The first shape was one continuous curve, carrying none of the geometry the rest of the piece would take. Everything that followed was an argument with that line. Drawings by Ray Suzuki
In three dimensions
Built to be sat in
From here it went to a professional furniture designer and an architect, who took the drawing into a model and tested it as a structure. The question they were asked was narrow: give it the durability the piece has to have, and give up none of the proportion.
Model · 2024/10/28
In use
Chowa Library
Chowa Library is where the chair designed was made. When purchased, the chair will be available to be picked up at the Chowa Library with a formal tour of the private space.
Chowa Bar · Tokyo
A chair earns its keep in a room that is working.
Maison Monna Chowa | Hall Tokyo
Chowa Furniture · CHOWA-CHAIR-01
Chowa Chair
Limited Edition of 100 pieces
$3,240USD · excludes shipping and tax
Seat — Bare wood
No dantsu mat · the seating surface left bare
| Model | CHOWA-CHAIR-01 |
|---|---|
| Edition | Standard |
| Crafted in | Halikko, Finland |
| Material | Plywood |
| Finish | Patina brown |
| Dimensions | 39.4 × 36.8 × 71.1 cm · 15.5 × 14.5 × 28 in |
| Seat | Bare wood |
| Lead time | Quoted on inquiry |
Available by inquiry only. Each chair is made to order in Halikko.
In collaboration
YAMAGATA DANTSU
Just like a box for Chowa, carpet is the overlooked excellence of Yamagata Dantsu. Chowa admires the legacy and beauty of the craft.
CRAFT HISTORY SINCE 1935
Legacy of the craft...
Founded in 1935, Yamagata Dantsu set out to blend Japan’s barefoot lifestyle with exquisite textiles discovered along the Silk Road, guided by the philosophy: “A Warm Welcome for Every Foot.” It remains the only company in Japan to fully manufacture carpets in-house—spinning, dyeing, weaving, and providing aftercare through an integrated production system.
Today, more than 80 years later, Yamagata Dantsu continues to carry this legacy forward through collaborations with some of Japan’s most renowned creatives—Ken Okuyama, Kengo Kuma, Kashiwa Sato, Hiroshi Senju, and Mikiya Kobayashi—bridging tradition and innovation to define the future of Japanese carpet-making.
Seat pattern · 386 × 365 mm · wool 100%
This project centers previously nameless, faceless artisans and their crafts, which we believe are the true protagonists.
Ray Suzuki
On behalf of the artisans