Manou Chair

Sjoerd Vroonland is a self-described ‘master of revised crafts’; a furniture and interior designer based in Amsterdam for whom the visibility of craftsmanship is key in creating furniture with an ingrained legacy.

For his graduation project in 2010 from ArtEZ Academy, Vroonland created the Manou Chair, a leather and pulp cane (manou) chair which comprises a minimum of parts that each have a function. The design is a blend of technology, aesthetics and comfort that combine the artisanal techniques of cane- and leatherworking with innovations to use less energy in production. Comprising merely three pieces of cane and a leather seat, the Manou Chair’s minimalist construction belies the technicality of flattening the pulp cane so it can be curved effectively.