September Chair
Manufactured by Uchida Design Studio
Japan, 1977
Brass
Measurements
90 x 47,5 x 67,5h cm
35,4 x 18,7 x 26,6h in
Provenance
Private collection, Japan
Literature
Design giapponese dal 1945, Naomi Pollock, Thames & Hudson, p. 162; Shigeru Uchida con Ikuyo Mitshuhashi, Interiors, Furniture and Architecture, p.34, Ed. Riyuko-sha, 2003; Interior Design Uchida, Mitsuhashi, Nishioka & Studio 80 Vol. II, Taschen, p.104, 1996
Shigeru Uchida, et. al., Interior Design: Uchida, Mitsuhashi, Nishioka & Studio 80 Vol. II, Cologne, 1996
Exhibitions
MOMA Metropolitan Museum of Art, Kobe Fashion Museum, Denver Art Museum, Museum of Modern Art (Saitama), Gana Art Center, M + Museum
About
The September chair, designed by Shigeru Uchida in 1977, is a poetic exploration of presence and absence through form. Known for his refined approach to minimalism and spatial philosophy, Uchida sought to distill the concept of a chair into its lightest, most essential expression. With its wide, fabric-upholstered seat and slender powder-coated steel frame, September balances grounded comfort with a feeling of levitation. The generous seat offers physical rest, while its near-floating silhouette reflects Uchida’s pursuit of visual and material lightness—an idea deeply rooted in Japanese aesthetics.
A prominent figure in postwar Japanese design, Uchida believed that furniture should not dominate a space but rather resonate within it, enhancing the sense of openness and harmony. September exemplifies this ethos, offering quiet strength, subtle elegance, and an enduring relevance that bridges tradition and modernity.
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.
