Chair Model C-022
Manufactured by Uchida Design Studio
Japan, 1980
Brass, Steel, Upholstered seat

Measurements
52 x 48 x 67h cm
20,5 x 18,9 x 26,4h in

Provenance
Private collection, Japan

Literature
Shigeru Uchida, et. al., Interior Design: Uchida, Mitsuhashi, Nishioka & Studio 80 Vol. II, Cologne, 1996

About
Designed in the 1980s by acclaimed Japanese designer Shigeru Uchida, the C-022 Armchair exemplifies his minimalist, architectural approach to furniture. Defined by its precisely curved tubular backrest in chrome and supported by a delicate yet robust linear frame, the chair reflects Uchida’s search for balance between form, function, and spatial harmony.
The squared, flat seat—often upholstered in natural-toned leather—anchors the composition, while the open structure emphasizes lightness and clarity. With its quiet presence and structural elegance, the C-022 transcends its function, becoming a sculptural gesture within the room.
Rooted in Japanese aesthetics yet dialoguing with global postmodernism, this chair embodies Uchida’s design ethos: furniture that appears almost weightless, resonating more as space than as object.

Biography
Shigeru Uchida (1943–2016) was a defining figure of post-war Japanese design, whose prolific output shaped a distinctly modern yet deeply reflective aesthetic. Born in Yokohama and educated at the Kuwasawa Design School, Uchida went on to direct the institution and establish Studio 80 in 1981, marking the beginning of a multifaceted career spanning interior architecture, furniture, industrial design, and urban planning.
A key concern in Uchida’s work was the dialogue between Japanese spatial philosophy and contemporary global design. His furniture, in particular, embodies a search for “transparency and lightness that transcends physicality,” reflecting his belief that form should almost disappear in order to let space breathe. His iconic September chair (1977) exemplifies this vision through its delicate geometry, steel structure, and open mesh seat—an exploration of presence through absence.
Uchida stood at the intersection of design and cultural discourse. In Japan, he was closely aligned with creatives like Shiro Kuramata and Yohji Yamamoto, while internationally, he shared affinities with figures such as Ettore Sottsass, Aldo Rossi, and Gaetano Pesce. Through these relationships, he became an influential voice in the postmodern movement, shaping an approach that valued restraint, ambiguity, and material poetry.
Beyond his acclaimed interiors for Yohji Yamamoto boutiques and institutions like the Kobe Fashion Museum, Uchida also delved into philosophical investigations through the design of contemporary tea houses and experimental architecture. His work is represented in major collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and SFMOMA.
A noted design theorist as well as practitioner, Uchida wrote extensively on Japanese aesthetics, the body’s relationship to space, and the poetics of the everyday. His legacy endures in both his objects and his thought—quiet, rigorous, and deeply attuned to the subtleties of form and life.