Maximo Malaiu

05 — Furniture

Chairs

Objects held in a state of flux — neither monolithic nor unstable.

Two wooden chairs standing together in a white tiled room: one with a faceted pentagon back, one with a tall straight back and a live-edge seat.
Mariposa and Araña
Years
2023–2024
Material
Solid wood
Pieces
Silla Mariposa, Silla Araña
Status
Built, ongoing

The series

The chair series is part of an ongoing exploration of form and function.

These furniture pieces aim to explore ways to create an object in a flux state. Why would you want something that feels overly permanent or monolithic? On the other hand, you do not want something that feels too fleeting or unstable. To address this, I propose various iterations to explore different solutions. Movement can be achieved by a rotating shape, or a dismountable construction. Or perhaps by abstracting from nature's efficient forms.

Silla Mariposa, 2023

Chair inspired by the triangular geometry behind origami.

Silla Mariposa seen from the front: a wide faceted pentagon back above a seat carried on angled triangular legs.
Silla Mariposa, front
Silla Mariposa from a second angle, showing the folded planes of the back and the open triangular structure below the seat.
Folded back
Pencil study of a faceted chair, drawn in loose graphite with shaded planes.
Projecting lines, 2023
A scattered field of small ink chair sketches testing different structures and postures.
Iterations

Silla Araña, 2024

A modular system that makes the chair transportable — the piece comes apart rather than resolving into a single fixed object.

Silla Araña in the studio: a tall straight back above a live-edge timber seat on slender splayed legs.
Silla Araña, studio
Silla Araña from the side with the live-edge seat sections laid on the floor beside it, showing how the chair comes apart.
Seat sections
Flat black diagram of the chair's parts laid out separately, as they pack for transport.
Modular system
The assembled chair reduced to a solid black silhouette, seen from the side.
Assembled
Silla Araña standing alone in rough coastal grass and sand.
Silla Araña, 2024

Making

The maker's hands moving quickly over a stack of timber boards and a live-edge round on a white table.
Laying out stock
A chair back clamped in sash cramps on a workshop bench, seen from above on a concrete floor.
Glue-up

Also in the series

Render of a low red table whose legs end in small flared feet, in a warm orange room.
Table study, red
Render of a yellow table with turned, flared legs on a white background.
Table study, yellow

See the full set on one wall