nendo Designed 50 Chairs Inspired by Manga

Japanese design studio nendo’s latest project involves the unlikely fusion of furniture design and the Japanese art form of manga. The combination yielded a collection of 50 different chairs, each based on a different illustration technique — called an effects line — used to illustrate action and emotion in the art form’s otherwise flat illustration style. Much like manga, the nendo chairs themselves are rendered without dimension and details, letting the effect and emotional meaning of each piece speak for itself. Some are quite obviously more functional than others. The designers told Dezeen: “The mirror finish generates new spatial layers as the mirror surface reflects the real world, just like manga does.”

You can flip through a selection of the chairs above and be sure to check out the design studio’s minimalist pet goods, for good measure.