Armchair Ri

"Starting at the lower front edge of the armchair, an unbroken curving line runs up the side, out along the armrest, on through the waist up around the earlobes to the top of the back and, after passing the neck cushion, takes the mirrored path back down to the bottom of the seat. Hence the name Ri, which is a wooden drawing tool for curved shapes in architecture and boat building.

Already at the launch of our straight armchair in 2012, we made a full-scale ear flap model that has been used extensively in the office over the years. It's wonderfully comfortable to sit in, but the angular shape didn't play well with the flared top. We longed for rounded shapes, which only became possible when we added the curved plywood shell.

But perhaps the biggest breakthrough came with our newly hired upholsterer. It was only with her expertise in the accelerated product development process that we were able to meticulously work out every detail of the upholstery and textiles. This may not be apparent at first glance, but it is all the more noticeable when you have to live with the armchair. The seat cushion, for example, with its sophisticated construction, is like a dream, like crawling into an 18th-century French Bergère.

You can tell that the high Ri is comfortable to sit in as soon as you see it, but you might not realise that the low Ri is so comfortable until you try it."

Nirvan Richter, designer
In production since 2022