Hemp Chair - A Study in Counterbalance
A plant-fiber composite chair where visible balance and rope tension replace structural mass.
A plant-fiber composite chair where visible balance and rope tension replace structural mass.
Read on Designboom, 2026
Developed in Thailand, the chair combines hemp fabric and pineapple-leaf agricultural by-product in a counterbalanced structure. A tensioned rope allows the elements to remain thin and precise, supporting both upright sitting and a reclined posture that gently elongates the spine.
The chair is held by forces rather than parts — fibre under load, gravity negotiated, surface behaving as structure. There is no hidden frame, no hierarchy between skin and support. What carries the body is the continuous negotiation of counterbalance.
Lineage.
Hemp Chair continues an investigation into balance and structural counterweight using renewable fibers and bio-composite fabrication.
Hemp Chair continues an investigation into balance and structural counterweight using renewable fibers and bio-composite fabrication.
A first iteration: 'Counterpoise Chair'
Hemp Chair takes the loom as a quiet reference
MATERIALS:
Hemp fabric and pineapple-leaf fibre composite shells, solid wood, tensioned rope
DIMENSIONS:
55cm x 58cm x 86cm (seat height 44cm)
STATUS:
Prototype, 2025-2026
Hemp fabric and pineapple-leaf fibre composite shells, solid wood, tensioned rope
DIMENSIONS:
55cm x 58cm x 86cm (seat height 44cm)
STATUS:
Prototype, 2025-2026
Developed as a prototype, the project invites collaboration toward further development and production.
On view
Milan Design Week 2026
Isola Design Festival / No Space for Waste
April 20-26
Milan Design Week 2026
Isola Design Festival / No Space for Waste
April 20-26
Press: Designboom 2026
Email: veronica.olariu@gmail.com
