Reflex Stool
Designed by Akiko Ken Made
Reflex is a sculptural approach to seating: one shape, repeated eight times, assembled into a stool as considered in its construction as in its form. Eight pieces of solid oak are joined corner to corner in bevelled joints - no screws - forming an open square loop that is both simple and precise.
It looks effortlessly simple, yet hides real brilliance in that simplicity: the joinery alone gives it the strength to carry a person's weight and pass contract-use testing. The grain of the oak is left clearly on show. Made in Denmark.
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Reflex is built from a single idea, repeated. Each surface is formed by two pieces of solid oak brought together in a bevelled joint; carried all the way around the square, that one method gives the stool its strength and its cross-stability - enough to bear the weight of a person, and to pass contract-use testing for commercial and hospitality settings, held together without a single screw.
One form, eight pieces, one stool.
It is a piece of pure cabinetmaking: the construction is the design, and nothing is added that isn't needed. That restraint was the brief, Reflex was created for SE, the Danish Cabinetmakers' Autumn Exhibition 2019, was an edition themed around re-thinking, re-using and re-ducing: doing more with less.
Available in solid oak in three finishes, each leaving the grain clearly visible. As a natural material, every stool takes on its own character.
At home in a hallway, living room, kitchen or café - or a hotel room, where its light, sculptural form makes a flexible extra seat, low perch or side table wherever it's needed.
- Solid oak, bevelled-joint construction, no screws
- Available in natural oil, black stained matt lacquer or smoked
Contract-use tested (suitable for commercial and hospitality settings)
Given the nature of oak, each stool will have an individual character. Colors shown on screen may vary slightly from the actual product.
- Width: 24 cm
- Height: 45 cm
- Depth: 45 cm
- Weight: 4.3 kg
The Reflex Stool comes packed in a solid outer box.
Oiled oak - The oiled finish gives a soft surface. Remove dust with a soft dry cloth or a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush. For cleaning, use a soft cloth lightly wrung in lukewarm water, stroking in the direction of the grain, and dry off immediately. For more thorough cleaning, use a soap formulated for oiled wood furniture. Re-oil when the surface starts to look faded or loses its softness, using an oil suitable for indoor wood furniture.
One shape, repeated eight times
Created by Akiko Ken Made, a Danish-Japanese design duo, Reflex is formed by repeating one simple shape eight times, resulting in a stool that’s equally stable and expressive.
The emphasis on honest materials and efficient construction nods to Danish practicality, while the curved edges and tactile grain reflect a Japanese sensitivity to subtle detail.
Designed by
Akiko Ken Made
Akiko Kuwahata and Ken Winther bring together two craft traditions that were always closer than their distance suggests. A Japanese architect and cabinetmaker, and a Danish cabinetmaker from a three-generation family of makers. Their work is defined by a shared sensitivity to material, touch and the passion for well-made things.