Butterfly Stool

バタフライスツール

Yanagi Sōri

Tendō Mokkō · Vitra · From 1956

Butterfly Stool by Yanagi Sōri
Figure 1Butterfly Stool by Yanagi Sōri

Details

Title

Butterfly Stool

Date of Design

1954

First Produced

1956

Designer

Yanagi Sōri

Manufacturers

Tendō Mokkō

Since 1956

Vitra

Since 2001

Medium
Plywood,
Rosewood,
Brass
Dimensions

387 x 425 x 310 mm

Seat Height

340 mm

Weight

2200 g

Timeline

1954 Yanagi approached the Industrial Arts Institute (IAI) in Sendai, which was conducting technical research on molded plywood and asked for help in producing his design. Thanks to a determined engineer, Saburō Inui, they developed a prototype. Inui introduced Yanagi to the furniture manufacturer Tendō Mokkō.
1956 The Butterfly Stool is introduced to the public at Yanagi's first solo exhibition at the Matsuya Department Store in Tokyo.
Tendō Mokkō begins production of the Butterfly Stool.
1957 The Butterfly Stool makes its international debut at the Triennale in Milan.
1958 The design is modified. The most significant change was the shape of the stool when viewed from the front. The legs of the first model, introduced in 1956, were straight, whereas the legs of the new design are gently curved inwards.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York adds the Butterfly Stool to its permanent collection.
1965 Tendō introduces a larger model for overseas markets.
1970 Tendō celebrates its 30th anniversary. On this occasion, they released an acrylic version of the Butterfly Stool. They came in transparent, red, blue, and gray editions and were produced until 1971.
1992 The design of the larger model is revised. Tendo decided to switch to the larger model in Japan as well. They continued to sell it until 1998, when the Butterfly Stool returned to its original size.
2001 Vitra begins production of the Butterfly Stool.

Awards

1966 Good Design Award
2016 Good Design Long Life Design Award