Design: Herzog & de Meuron
Armchair P11 — HdM 2025

Originally conceived for a café in Japan, the Shaun chair has been in development for over a decade. It has evolved through many cycles of re-invention. Born for an architectural project, it does not follow any trend or style. It is an architectural element within an interior space with its own strong character and identity.

The original idea was to reduce a soft chair to its minimum – two pillows, one as a seat and the other as a back. They are attached to each other invisibly, almost magically balancing on each other, supported simply by four legs. The legs stick straight into the underside of the seat pad almost like a table construction, spread wide at the front to give more legroom, and tighter at the back in a kind of compositional counterbalance. The hoof-like feet reinterpret the milled geometry of the quarter-turned legs used in some of our other furniture concepts, and together with the soft upholstered volume (the first prototypes in fluffy wool) imbue the chair with animalistic charm. Shaun was born. In the final version, the seat and backrest are carefully upholstered like two velvet macaroons with luxurious fabrics. The scale and proportions are generous and, in combination with the oiled Canaletto walnut, elevate the chair with a certain elegance and noblesse.

Complete with its own small, playful pouf, released from the Herzog & de Meuron archive to enrich the MARTASALA ÉDITIONS collection, the dining chair becomes a lounge chair. Yet the pouf on its own is an extremely useful and versatile piece and can be used as a stool, table, or footrest thanks to its limited dimensions and light weight.

Hand crafted in Italy, it is now part of MARTASALA ÉDITIONS “La Magie du Bois” collection.

Ph: Giulio Ghirardi