ICHA CHAIR RETURNS

JUNE 10 – 2020
Written by Sanna Fehrman

Massproductions’ Icha series has been celebrated for its Japanese design language since it was first launched with corresponding tables and bar stools in the spring of 2014. Now the Icha chair is re-launched with a new reinforced construction and with a Möbelfakta quality label.

Massproductions’ Icha series has been celebrated for its Japanese design language since it was first launched with corresponding tables and bar stools in the spring of 2014. Now the Icha chair is re-launched with a new reinforced construction and with a Möbelfakta quality label.

The chair was introduced for the first-time during Stockholm Design Week 2017 and was well received, picking up Elle Decorations “Chair of the Year” award the following year. But Massproductions’ high-quality standards took the chair back to the drawing board. The goal was to strengthen the design to cope with the challenges of public environments and meet the requirements of “Möbelfakta”, the Swedish quality standard for furniture.

The Icha Chair is a complex wooden chair in solid, layer-glued and steam bent wood, a combination that makes it dependent on three different production techniques. Another critical aspect is in the assembly of the parts into a durable chair. Massproductions’ furniture engineers have spent two years in product development, analyzing each component and their various production techniques. The biggest challenge was to develop the steam bent armrest and the quest for the best production method and supplier took the company to a small factory in northern Italy. The hard work has paid off, the Icha Chair is now re-launched and certified with by Möbelfakta.

The chair was introduced for the first-time during Stockholm Design Week 2017 and was well received, picking up Elle Decorations “Chair of the Year” award the following year. But Massproductions’ high-quality standards took the chair back to the drawing board. The goal was to strengthen the design to cope with the challenges of public environments and meet the requirements of “Möbelfakta”, the Swedish quality standard for furniture.

The Icha Chair is a complex wooden chair in solid, layer-glued and steam bent wood, a combination that makes it dependent on three different production techniques. Another critical aspect is in the assembly of the parts into a durable chair. Massproductions’ furniture engineers have spent two years in product development, analyzing each component and their various production techniques. The biggest challenge was to develop the steam bent armrest and the quest for the best production method and supplier took the company to a small factory in northern Italy. The hard work has paid off, the Icha Chair is now re-launched and certified with by Möbelfakta.

“Here at Massproductions we take our time, always exploring any opportunity to improve a product, even after it has been launched and received a warm welcome on the market. We found a supplier in northern Italy who makes the bent armrest (the most complicated part of the chair) in an outstanding way” says Magnus Elebäck, CEO of Massproductions.

In connection to the Möbelfakta certification, the Icha Chair passed quality testing to meet the requirements for use in public spaces. This involved a test of 100,000 cycles, with loads of 100 kg on the seat and 30 kg on the backrest.

“Icha was a challenging product that really pushed wood technologies forwards and the rewards of that are there to be enjoyed in its flowing curves and harmonic form. Many people have put many hours into the development of Icha and we are proud to have succeeded with this truly fine product”

– Chris Martin,
Designer in Chief