Butterfly Stool Stool - / By Sori Yanagi, 1954 by Vitra Natural wood

Treat yourself to an ORIGINAL iconic piece by Vitra. An original will always hold its value. It will stay with you for your whole life and outlast you, to be passed on to the next generation. If you own a product manufactured by Vitra, you can be sure it’s an original. The creations of Japanese designer Sori Yanagi (1915 - 2011) have organic shapes and blend Western industrial design with Japanese artisanal tradition. Sori Yanagi was one of the foremost Japanese post-war designers. Sori Yanagi (1915-2011) created the Butterfly stool in 1954. Three years later, he won a gold medal at the Milan Triennale. His success has never wavered since. Made by Vitra, it’s also part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The Butterfly Stool is made up of two identical curved pieces, linked together by a brass rod. It embodies the meeting, the alliance between East and West. Yanagi used the moulded plywood technique employed by well-known Western designers, pioneered by the Eames pairing and also used by Arne Jacobsen. The shape of the stool is more oriental and recalls Japanese ideograms. The two curved pieces evoke the wings of a butterfly, hence the name, but also the torii, the portals that mark the entrance to Shinto shrines. Butterfly displays simple shapes, visually close to artisanal work. Even though Yanagi created the Yanagi Industrial Design Institute in 1952, he remains close to traditional Japanese craftsmanship. His father, Soetsu Yanagi, founded the Mingei movement, which wanted to promote and preserve crafts, standard everyday objects.