What does it mean for an architect to design a single-shell chair? And how can this type of product stand out within the current panorama of the furniture world? We asked Giorgio Topan directly, designer of KIRE and a great friend of Diemme.
Kire in Japanese means “cut” and it is precisely from the concept of the cut that Giorgio Topan, born in 1958 and an architect since 1982, laid the foundations for bringing to life his idea of a truly revolutionary and unique single-shell chair.
“I wanted visually to differentiate the two views,” explains Topan, “the front from the rear. In this way, the front view needed to give a sense of physical and visual continuity between the backrest and the seat, whilst the rear view was to create discontinuity – a visual and physical cut – at the connecting part between the backrest and the seat. Like a sort of tail – a tail-coat in fact”.
So, from Topan’s pencil a simple and at the same time contemporary design took shape, decidedly Italian in its craftsmanship albeit inspired by Scandinavian style – clean and minimalist. Unmistakable in its striking side profile, the compact dimensions of this chair make it perfectly suited to office, home and lounge settings. In a nutshell: KIRE.
Thanks to its virtually unlimited customisation – chairs, stools, benches, writing tablets and armrests – the KIRE family throws up hundreds of different possible configurations: for a highly customisable collection that can be adapted to any need, space or context.
See the KIRE collection here and find out more about our idea of the future.