Sam Whyman on the work

The Chord Dining Chair is bespoke and a study in comfort, structure and material. It grew out of a long-standing love of mid-century design and a pull toward technical woodworking processes, the kind of piece that comes from wanting to test a technique as much as design a chair.

Laminated timber forms the seat and back, shaped into smooth, continuous curves that would be impossible from solid sections alone. Set within this is a corded lumbar support, a woven element that flexes gently against the sitter, offering targeted support while keeping the backrest visually light. The contrast between the rigid laminated frame and the responsive corded section sits at the centre of the design.

This is the second iteration of the concept, first made in 0. A few elements weren't quite right in the original; seat depth, recline angle and lumbar placement have all been refined for V, calibrated for a more relaxed, natural posture.

I can't leave chairs alone. As a small craft maker, they're notoriously difficult from a business perspective; they take a lot of time and effort to design and produce, which puts them out of scope for most buyers and leaves very tight margins on the ones that do sell. But as an object, they're fascinating. There's an infinite number of ways to design a chair, and it feels like an infinite number already exist. I still can't stop designing them.