The Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool is in a master-class all of its own. Has simple elegance ever been so breathtaking? So perfect in form and function, this piece has a place in the Museum of Modern Art. Originally designed in 1956, Yanagi blended traditional Japanese form with modernistic Western building materials. Early examples were manufactured in both wood and metal. The zen of this petite wonder is encompassed by a 15 inch height, 12 inch depth, and most importantly of-course, a 17 inch wingspan. Timeless in simplicity, the clear, crisp lines take a back seat to the overall sum of the individual parts. At first glance it appears as if two gently molded linear worlds are being held in a flowing yet static dance. The Butterfly stool is available in both light and dark finishes. Buy several and good karma will follow, grasshopper. The concept of symmetry is beautifully manifested in the joined wings of Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool. Executed using the pressed plywood molding technique invented by Charles and Ray Eames, this graceful stool marries ancient Japanese forms with modern Western materials. This is a high-quality reproduction. From three legs to four legs and now this: the Yanagi butterfly stool stands on two legs. The piece consists of two bent pieces of half-inch wood; the one on the left looks like a “7”; the one on the right, a backwards , and when joined, almost reminiscent of a Japanese character. 7 Joined at the angle, each top is a convex curve from joint to edge, while the legs are concave-curved from front to back, with a width of 17″ and a height of 15″. The seat and legs are 12″ wide—a bit small for the average American adult. The legs are stabilized with a brass rod. The joint is reinforced with brass screws. It comes, um, disassembled to the owner. A bit of fun there… The Yanagi butterfly stool is a classic, modern Japanese architecture. The design shows special treatment for the wood grain, whose pattern is mirrored on either side of the joint that forms the seat. Like many other pieces that come from the Japanese school of art, its simplicity is serene and one would rather look at it than sit on it. The name of butterfly stool is well conceived, for this stool has emerged as though from a cocoon of ordinary wood to become something beautiful and sublime. As a functioning piece, it might rather serve as an ottoman, but suffice it to say, it probably finds its best use in the limited space of a Japanese apartment. Having just one of these stools in a New York ped a terre would serve as a fine example of modern art; having more than one butterfly stool would create a problem, as each one deserves a space that allows its aura to infuse the setting. Sori Yanagi is a Renaissance man, known for his water kettle design, along with the butterfly stool Yanagi designed in 1954. He has designed porcelain and silverware, heavy bridge construction, cars and Olympic flames. His designs are showcased worldwide, as the leader and major influence of the Japanese design tradition, gracing the hallowed spaces of MoMA in New York and the Paris Louvre. He is still working today, when others his age would be living a less active life, and continues to create exquisite examples of grace, simplicity and elegance. The butterfly stool Yanagi created has had an influence on American design as well, demonstrating that a slab of wood is an art form in itself; treated with consideration of its pattern and color, whatever form it takes should create a keen awareness of nature’s bountiful beauty.

Specification