Butterfly Stool

A pioneer of Japanese industrial design, Sori Yanagi prefers gentle and rounded forms because they "radiate human warmth." Featured in the Museum's collection, the Butterfly Stool makes use of a simple metal connector that harnesses the divergent forces of the two rounded panels by employing the tectonic principles of compression and tension. The use of a traditional veneer-cutting technique ensures that each half of the stool's surface mirrors the grain of the other half. The result: an elegantly simple, soaring design of molded plywood and steel. Simple assembly required.