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Moving Tatamis

Presented at Maison & Objet, Moving Tatamis is a furniture collection designed by José Lévy for Daiken that reinterprets the ancient art of tatami.

At Maison & Objet 2016 French designer José Lévy presented his new Moving Tatamis collection, introducing for the first time furniture pieces produced in traditional tatami. Together with Japanese manufacturer Daiken, the designer created a whole range of products: sofa, armchair, bench seats, stools, side tables, a storage cabinet and shelving.

A change of function was requested by Daiken in order to consider this material in a new light and move away from its traditional use. The tatami used for the collection is woven from Japanese traditional paper wa-shi and not straw to provide better resistance. José Lévy proposes cocoon armchairs, little asymmetrical side tables with one side curving downwards, while the matt tatami contrasts with the gloss lacquer and the waxed wood.