Designed by Claesson Koivisto Rune for japanese manufacturer Matsuso T the Wafer chair combines alternating light and dark wood stripes of walnut and maple. Presented earlier this year at imm cologne 2015 the chair and collection is simply stunning. Technically challenging to manufacture Matsuso T has seamlessly blended the sections together into a smooth constant shape where the flat planes morph perfectly with the leg assembly creating stunning geometry.

The primary theme theme of the Wafer chair and coordinating collection is based on the combination of contrasting light and dark wood which create a bold graphical statement. The name Wafer refers to both the visual effect and the wafer thin edges of each piece. The Wafer chair has the broadest selection of stripes of all three of the pieces. It’s wafer thin edges taper inward to the main section which is substantially thicker, yet that thickness is hidden by the overall shape of the chair creating yet another optical illusion.

Wafer truly shows off Matsuso T’s manufacturing prowess. The chair is produced by a combination of 3-d cutting and hand finishing. Each piece is solid wood, in order to achieve the quality that Matsuso T requires and produce the optical effect the stripes create. Frankly I don’t think you could create something with these kinds of lines and geometry using MDF and veneer, at least not with this striking of an effect.