Hasta La Ideas

Japanese chair researcher Takaaki Nishikawa and woodworker/designer Shigeru Sakamoto co-authored a photo-heavy $38 book called “Anatomical Views of Masterpiece Chairs.”

Designed for those seeking to restore or repair midcentury modern classics, the book is filled with detailed photographs of teardowns, reassemblies and seat replacements. Bruno Mattson’s Eva chair, Arne Jacobsen’s Egg chair, Kaare Klint’s Safari chair and others by the likes of Gio Ponti, Hans Wegner, Finn Juhl and others are covered.

While the book is aimed at restorers, I have to think it would benefit designers to read as well. The description says the book contains information on (translated) “What kind of technology is used: joining methods, how to provide strength, ingenuity to make the best use of design, ingenuity in hidden parts that cannot be seen from the outside, etc.”

It appears the book is in Japanese only.

Here’s a flip-through: