yaacov kaufman: woven seating design

‘spot stool’ by neil nenner for gaga and design H42 x D26 cm image courtesy of gaga and design

currently in tel aviv as part of vibe israel, an initiative organized by non-profit social start-up kinetis, designboom is experiencing all that israel has to offer in terms of design. from meeting with various israeli designers and people in the industry, to visiting museums and private studios, we have been getting a glimpse at what is currently happening in the creative scene here.

one of the studios we have had the pleasure of visiting is that of well-known israeli designer yaacov kaufman who founded gaga and design with avi bourla in 2007. kaufman is known for his experimental approach to design, whether it be exploring the potential of certain materials to the investigation of form.

his newer company gaga and design is a bit more ‘main stream’, a start up which deals with art directing and collaborating with young designers and helping them push their concepts out to the broader public. it is committed to contemporary furniture and lifestyle needs. focusing on color and transparency, they have developed a line of chairs in which the seats and backs are made through a traditional hand-woven method, resulting in a reinforced web of color.

‘spot stool’ wrapping and weaving detail image courtesy of gaga and design ‘spot stool’ stacked image courtesy of gaga and design ‘2 rings / easy chair’ in yaacov kaufman’s studio image © designboom

studio work space image © designboom

image © designboom

designboom’s rocking chair and folding chair posters hanging in kaufman’s studio image © designboom

the studio’s in house workshop image © designboom

image © designboom

sanding tools and materials image © designboom

designer yaacov kaufmann with one of his pallet masks (see more about the project on designboom here) portrait © designboom

‘no. 5’ by neil nenner for gaga and design H88 x W41 x D52 cm image courtesy of gaga and design

‘no. 5’ back view image courtesy of gaga and design

‘bar stool’ by neil nenner for gaga and design seat height 65 cm image courtesy of gaga and design

‘zigi / easy chair’ by yaacov kaufman for gaga and design H81 x W89 x D70 cm image courtesy of gaga and design ‘low back / easy chair’ by yaacov kaufmann for gaga and design H77 x W67 x D66 cm image courtesy of gaga and design

‘double D / easy chair’ by yaacov kaufman H77 x W74 x D66 cm image courtesy of gaga and design ‘2 rings / easy chair’ by yaacov kaufman H93 x W70 x D66 cmi mage courtesy of gaga and design

‘2 rings / easy chair’ stacked image courtesy of gaga and design