Header: Tsuyoshi Uchida
NAMI is a 3D-printed stool that lacks a front, features a flat seat, and has a fixed orientation, as Tsuyoshi Uchida, from Uchida Space Design Studio, didn’t want to create a static, almost predetermined piece. Its shape is defined by irregular curves that shift across the surface like waves in the ocean, developed as an alternative to flat seating and based on a preference for softer, more natural forms.
The project began with a simple idea: the desire to sit on waves. That reference was directly translated into the name “NAMI”, which means wave in Japanese, having become a way of thinking about movement and surface without relying on symmetry or standard geometry. The result is a form that doesn’t dictate one’s posture and isn’t anchored to a single position, mirroring everything else found in nature.
Rather than using 3D printing to create familiar furniture, the designer employed this famous method to approach furniture with a fresh perspective. By sharing the new form with the world, Tsuyoshi Uchida hopes that his vision will become a starting point for others, rather than a substitute for a past way of thinking.
Considering the environment, the studio utilized a bio-based engineering plastic whose primary raw material is plant-derived isosorbide, selected for its durability, resistance to light, and optical clarity.
The piece was produced in Fukuoka and launched in June 2024 through +0.2 (plus-zeropointtwo), a furniture brand developed by the studio to focus on 3D-printed interiors. The project was born from the studio’s broader exploration of what new forms might emerge when the tools and materials themselves shape the design’s direction.
