Kiba

Kiba is short for “kiba-dachi,” which is a Japanese term for a martial arts posture commonly used to strengthen the back and leg muscles. It’s synonymous to the overall feeling and understanding of “feeling grounded.”

Minimalist

Form Fitting

Body-Conscious

The form guides the user to sit at a perching position, which is the least harmful to the lower back when seated. It also rocks to keep the user active while sitting. The angle seat does not cut into the thighs providing better blood circulations. The planar seat activates the sit bone to support the upward drive of the spine. A benefit to sitting in this position is that weight can be sense through the feet allowing for higher body awareness.

Materials

The goal was to create a chair using minimal parts. The steel frame was used as support to add strength and durability. Wood was choosen for its inherent emotional connection to being balanced. The microperforated leather mimics the luxury sport feel in modern cars. The combination of the materials, texture and simplistic shape creates a contemporary design.

The wood center was bent using 1/8” Italian poplar and layered up to 3/8”. A huge jig made of layered MDF was created to bend the 2x4’ sheet of veneer. Secondary operations were used to trim and sand the veneer. The 1” HREW steel tubes were bent using two different methods. The larger radius was bent using a tube roller and the tighter radius was bent using a hydraulic tube bender. A total of two patterns consisting of four bent tube pieces were welded together to create the frame. Additional supports were added above and below to provide strength and a place for the wood center to mount. The spot welds were sanded and the frame was powder coated. Microperforated leather was used to wrap 1/2” neoprene to create the seat. The chair is easily assembled using 4 nuts and bolts. Minimal parts were used for ease of manufacturing.