Scout Chair

Be prepared for unexpected comfort in the atypical proportions of this Japanese oak chair. Challenging archetypes that have come before, the Scout has a particularly wide and curved backrest that offers all the ease of an armchair—without the arms. German-born designer Christian Haas parries expectations in other ways as well—a result, perhaps, as a ceramics and glassware expert now living in Porto, Portugal and bringing an outsider view to furniture. Christian pulls off his vision in collaboration with Japanese heritage brand Karimoku New Standard, who can achieve the innovative structure and unique proportions through a synthesis of computer-driven cutting techniques and painstaking hand-craftsmanship, completely rendered with a refined matte finish, in KNS's Japanese factories.