naoto fukasawa unveils za, a natural evolution to emeco's navy family

japanese designer naoto fukasaw introduces za, a stool in three heights for emeco. meaning ‘a place to sit’ in japanese, za speaks to the multi-functionality of a simple stool that can be used anywhere — indoors and outdoors — resulting in an object that a person will unconsciously choose to sit on.

za by naoto fukasawa for emeco is a modest and humble stool with purposeful simplicity in mind, highlighting the company’s heritage in aluminum craftsmanship. the stools shape results from fukasawa’s vision to make the seat comfortable, with a defined rim to keep the user seated in the center. the designer wanted to create a stool that would give people ‘a happy mood when seating.’

‘the navy chair is one of the most identified icons in america. I had an image of a round stool, which could become a natural part of the navy chair family, like a brother or sister. I embodied that thought into the design of the za stool.’ naoto fukasawa

za comes in three heights — small, counter height and bar stool height. just like the original navy chair, za is built at emcee’s pennsylvania factory following a unique and elaborate 77-step process. the recycled aluminum — emeco’s signature material — is light, strong, non-corrosive, fireproof and has a low carbon footprint. the stool is offered in a natural, hand brushed anodized finish, a hand polished finish, or in six powder coat colors that reflect the spirit of the collection: warm gray, light brown, light blue, green, orange and charcoal.

project info:

name: za

type: stool

design: naoto fukasawa

company: emeco