Dubbed the Swing Ao Stool, this little number by Takusei Kajitani explores a fun concept of using tension to emulate ‘softness’. Sort of how a hammock feels soft like a beanbag, although there’s no ‘cushioning material’ inside a hammock, the Swing Ao chair provides a level of flexibility thanks to the fact that the seat is, in fact, suspended from the chair’s four legs. The idea, says the designer, was born from a need to eliminate the sedentary lifestyle. “Most chairs have been designed on the idea that sitting is a static movement despite the human body is designed to move,” says Kajitani. “It forces our body to stay rigid for a long time.” To that end, the Swing Ao Stool promotes constant movement. Sort of like sitting on one of those yoga ball chairs, the Swing Ao Stool keeps you constantly moving, feeling like a cross between a stool and a pogo stick!

Designer: Takusei Kajitani

The chair’s unique design explores a special arrangement where the seat and the legs don’t really touch each other. Instead, they’re connected by a flexible stretchy paracord that lets the seat ‘float’, for the lack of a better term. This tension structure allows the seat to move freely in conjunction with the movement of the sitter’s pelvis like a small swing.

As a result of this unique arrangement, the Swing Ao Stool promotes the movement of the pelvis, spine, and surrounding muscles, activating your body’s functions like playing on a small swing and keeping you constantly moving instead of having you static. “And you can also sit on it as a regular stool with an 8-degree angle seat to maintain a healthy posture that prevents hunching over”, adds the designer!

The Swing Ao Stool is a Silver Winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2022.