Ethnicraft presents

A new chair inspired by nature

The PI collection is growing roots, spotlighting the beauty and balance of nature while celebrating the handcrafting skills of our artisans.

the inspiration

“The PI collection is all about reconnection. In a humble way, I tried to reconnect the chair to a kind of shape language that brings the product closer to its origin.”

— Alain van Havre, designer

As grow the roots of a tree, so does the PI collection. Short for ‘polished imperfect’, the PI honours nature’s design by keeping the strength, curves and lines, as nature intended. The collection includes a shelving system, dining table, coffee table, floor mirror, wall mirror, side table, sideboard, console and many accessories. And now, joining the collection is a dining chair, both with arm rests and without, rounding out its dining offerings in a striking, yet light, balanced way.

Designed by Alain van Havre, the PI chair is a visual testimony to the beauty found in nature. When asked about the design of the chair, Alain says, “If you look at a tree, there’s nothing more beautiful than a tree that has had a hard time to grow, that has been harmed by that environment. And at the end, you get the beautiful thing because it’s full of scars, of imperfections, and if you start from this material, you want to keep something of that in your product. You want to have some tracks of this, of this heart, of this growing process.”

Be the first to know when the PI dining chair is available to order.

behind
the design

Each section of the chair was inspired by different parts of nature. Designer Alain often retreats to the wilderness to reconnect and find a creative spark, searching for shapes and textures that feel closer to the natural world.

“Every weekend, I try to go into the sea, into the woods, into the mountains when possible — it’s an incredible source of inspiration.”

The chair altogether has something of a tree shape, and Alain was looking for other natural shapes to complement this. The seat, Alain explains, is meant to look like polished stones, with evidence of slight erosion. The arms, similar to the feather of a Jake, brings a fluidity and lightness to the piece.

“I need absolutely every couple of days to go into the sea, to go into the woods, to look at the sunset, to look at the beauty of the way trees grow, the shape they have.”

PART OF A DYNAMIC FAMILY

The PI chair completes the PI dining collection, which has grown in a short period of time to include a dining table and sideboard. Distinct in its Wabi Sabi style, the connections between the legs and joints shows off the precise woodworking skills of our talented artisans, creating balance and symmetry in every piece. The chair further celebrates the innovation in our manufacturing techniques.

The PI collection spans more than just the dining room, finding its way comfortably in lounge spaces with coffee and side tables, in bedrooms with floor mirrors and nearly anywhere in the home with shelving and other accessories. With this collection, we aim to bring the calming qualities of nature into the home.

“We keep as much as imperfection as possible to track the hands of the craftsman that made the product. You want to keep as much as possible of this.”