yuya ushida: sofa_XXXX
the retractable seating unit, which transforms from chair to sofa, is constructed from 8000 chopsticks which have been individually cut and sanded then assembled using metal rings and joints.
‘sofa_xxxx’ by yuya ushida
‘sofa_xxxx’ by german-based designer yuya ushida is an expandable and retractable seating unit which transforms from chair to sofa. presented at designers fair at imm cologne 2011, the furniture piece is constructed from 8000 chopsticks which have each been individually cut to four different lengths and sanded to achieve the correct angles needed to build the structure. rings and joints are used to connect the sofa and aid in its adaptability and flexibility. overall, it took three months of work to finish the object. three people of 70 kg each, can sit on the sofa at any one time.
various views of the sofa expanded to its greatest size
details of the sofa
detail of the chopsticks and joint components image © designboom
detail of how metal rings connect the individual sticks image © designboom
‘sofa_xxxx’ on show at imm cologne 2011 image © designboom
the two repeated elements which create the retractable form of the sofa image © designboom
how the ‘XXXX_sofa’ worksvideo courtesy of yuya ushida
here is a look at the process it took to produce ‘sofa_xxxx’:
sanding down the chopsticks and preparing them to be cut in box moulds
the chopsticks were cut to four different lengths
each stick was drilled individually
cutting off the edges of the sticks and sanding them
up close of sanding the sticks individually with a look at the before and after
starting to connect the sticks together with joint components
assembling the sofa
