A Folding Felt Chair, Inspired By Old Serbian Textiles

KAKO.KO, a design studio in Belgrade, has designed a lovely armchair that folds like a piece of origami into a working stool.

Regular readers of Co.Design know that we go gaga for furniture that can morph, Transformer-style, into something else. It's great for small interiors, where, as a rule, the less stuff you've got, the better. And we've seen tons of examples in our day. But Chair D wins the award for sheer effortlessness. It's made of wood and felt and morphs in a cinch; all you do is tuck in the armrests.

The chair was inspired by Serbian kilims, traditional, double-sided tapestry rugs woven by local craftworkers. As KAKO.KO's Vesna Pejovi? tells Co.Design in an email, the meticulous cuts, creases, and stitching in Chair D echo kilims' geometric patterns and precise weave.

But the chair is more than just an aesthetic homage. "There is huge amount of magic, both Christian and south Slavic, inside of each pattern in cilims," Pejovi? says. 'When made, the cilims always bear the note of the good will for the person the cilim was made for.' So it is with Chair D. It comes complete with "a note of positive energy," she says, which she and her partner at KAKO.KO bestowed on the object themselves.

The studio can produce Chair D in a small series, so if you're interested in buying a copy, email office@kako-ko.com.