Kusch+Co is proud to announce Kanu, a stylish and innovative lounge armchair collection designed by Tomasz Augustyniak that is an oasis of smart elegance. A series that promotes a sense of calm and wellbeing, Kanu brings comfort and fosters connections and creativity, while blending style and functionality.
Kanu represents sophisticated design, functional versatility, and exceptional comfort perfect for lounge areas and informal relaxation zones in offices, public spaces or residential interiors. The moulded plywood seat and back give Kanu a unique, canoe-inspired shape, which is where the chair gets its name.
The collection offers remarkable design flexibility with either a classic wooden or contemporary metal base. Two distinctive backrest designs display a sweeping shape that is fully elliptical with an elegantly undercut arch.
With the option of upholstered pads for seat and backrest combined with multiple style configurations to suit diverse interior aesthetics, Kanu is beautifully designed and engineered with user comfort in mind. In addition, Kanu’s deep moulded seat provides optimal support with its wide, ergonomically curved backrest and strong upward seat curve that facilitates easy standing.
‘Designing the Kanu armchair was thoroughly inspiring’, says Augustyniak. ‘Contrary to popular belief that designing without constraints is ideal, true innovation emerges from specific reference points. For Kanu, that point was a rectangular plywood element, bent in one plane with a 500 mm radius. Every subsequent design decision was driven by creating the most logical and elegant product possible’.
The Kanu armchair centres on material consistency and intelligent form. The wooden base version is crafted from plywood with carefully considered edges and wide, sloping legs. A strategic decision to paint the base black creates an interplay of light, lending the armchair an almost architectural dynamism, however the versatility of this product allows for an array of different combinations of finishes.
Designer Tomasz Augustyniak brings over two decades of design expertise to the Kanu project spanning industrial, institutional, and private client work. His numerous accolades, includes the Red Dot Design Award and representation in the National Museum in Warsaw and permanent exhibition of the Gallery of Polish Design.
The Kanu lounge armchair collection is available through Kusch+Co, offering design professionals and consumers an exceptional seating solution that combines form, function, and aesthetic sophistication.