Ritzwell's JK Easy Chair designed by Jun Kamahara has been assigned the Archiproducts Design Award.
Created in 2016, the award seeks to reward the products that best represent the essence of contemporary design and to bring them to the attention the users of Archiproducts platform. Archiproducts has become a true point of reference for the work of Italian and international architects alike.
The jury, which is composed of important representatives of international architecture and design - including, among others, Piero Lissoni, Marcante Testa, Matthew Grzywinski, Francine Houben di Mecanoo, Paola Navone, David Rockwell, Benedetta Tagliabue, Ben van Berkel - guarantees the authority of the award.
JK EASY CHAIR, designed by Jun Kamahara with an essential and decisive shape, almost archetypal and for this reason still very topical, today renewed thanks to the introduction of new colors and materials chosen to last a long time and accompany people throughout their lives. This is an interesting work of re-designing an armchair that has been absent from the Japanese company's catalogue for 15 years. The armchair is composed by a thin tubular frame in hairline stainless steel supporting a deep leather seat. The backrest is made of leather strips padded with large cushions, which have been specifically designed to delicately host the person's hips and provide a comfortable support for the back. The comfort granted by this chair is almost surprising considering the highly graphic appearance of the object. Colours resonating with traditional Japanese hues like red and bronze visually warm up the steel of the structure thanks to the sophisticated and ultra-thin acrylic urethane coating, while soft leather covers the armrests and conveys a pleasant sensation to the touch. All the materials and finishes have been chosen for their capacity to become more beautiful season after season and acquire the famous "glaze of time" (furubi in Japanese). The allure of the JK EASY CHAIR, in fact, comes precisely from the encounter between contemporary design and the traditional and deep reflection on the passage of time present in Japanese culture: an every-day reality that is embellished by the love of quality and the meticulous care for detail, which Ritzwell continues to work on, constantly and discreetly.
THE DESIGNER – JUN KAMAHARA Born in 1950 and currently living in Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu, Jun Kamahara founded the Kamahara Design Office in 1978. His early works as a designer are related to the creation of chairs and armchairs; among which is the model Link created in cast aluminium. Kamahara won the Japanese Design of the Year Award for this piece in 1987. In addition to product design and several in-depth studies on colour, his professional activity has focused on projects of interior design, architecture, and bridges. For Ritzwell he has signed the JK line, composed by side tables and a small armchair, which is enriched with two further products this year on the occasion of the Milan Design Week: the JK Easy Chair and the JK Side Table.
