Valserliege type-1

Chaise longue was designed for a spa complex in the Swiss valley of Vals, Therme Vals, built of stacked layers of local stone. The chair profile is made of laminated wood, arranged at equal interval, softly curved to fit the human body, and lifted into the air by slender metal legs. Lying down on the Chaise longue creates the feeling of floating in the air.

To produce this chair in Japan, we decided to make the wooden frame using the traditional steam bending technique instead of the original laminated wood. In a process practiced for a hundred years, the wood is steamed at a high temperature and then bent into a metal mold. This technique does not waste any wood, which is essential even more in modern society. The wood is taken out of a hot kiln and bent along its grain within five minutes before it quickly hardens. It could only be done by skilled artisans working together to fit the wood into the metal mold. The bentwood dried in the mold shows a beautiful curve as if it has always been that way. Using solid wood makes the product durable to be cherished for a long time.

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