Burr puzzles are those three-dimensional, handheld cubic puzzles made from finicky, interlocking wooden sticks. Essentially, they’re really complicated locks that won’t come apart without a fight. Depending on its country of origin, the burr puzzle’s shape will vary. In China, a variation called the Luban Lock is the most well-known burr puzzle and it’s been around for centuries. Luban Lock is a traditional, Chinese folk toy whose concave and convex wooden sticks interlock perfectly, forming a solid geometric shape. Cultural traditions like the Luban Lock can provide plenty of inspiration for furniture designers as these intricate toy designs provide insight on products that incorporate all-wood assembly. One such design is the Hashtag Chair from YUUE Design Studio. Directly inspired by Luban Lock, the Hashtag Chair is made entirely from plywood, and each component of the chair interlocks with built-in notches.
Now let’s get to building the Hashtag Chair. Without any need for screws or drills, Hashtag Chair is entirely produced and assembled only using wood, just like the Luban Lock. The legs that prop up the Hashtag Chair are certainly the most visually reminiscent aspects of the Luban Lock burr puzzle so let’s start there. Just like Luban Locks, the legs on the Hashtag Chair are almost identical in length and structure, but each leg comes with two notches that lock into one another and the chair’s backrest to form a solid apron, which cradles the chair’s seat and resembles a hashtag. Thankfully, and unlike burr puzzles, it doesn’t take a genius to deconstruct or build the Hashtag Chair – actually, all you need is one minute and the chair practically builds itself. Users assemble a secure, ‘locked’ formation with Hashtag Chair when the full side of a leg attaches to carved out cavities on the reverse side of a perpendicular leg and so on, coming together to form a tightened stool. Once the legs are securely interlocked with one another, then the chair’s seat can get attached. On the underside of the chair’s seat rest, users will find a circular, washer-like, raised chunk of wood that fits snugly into the chair’s cavity similar in function to that of a pilot hole for the seat to screw into for secure placement. And there you go, your own self-assembled wooden Hashtag Chair!
Hashtag Chair’s designer says on the assembly of his design, “All parts of the chair are interlocked by notches, creating a hashtag-like shape. With a final step of inserting and twisting the seat part, the whole chair stands firm and strong. It can be flat-packed for transportation and assembled without effort.” Such a simple assembly process and an intuitive formation that basically builds itself makes the Hashtag Chair ideal for those dinner parties where last-minute guests arrive and decide to join or those parties that call for an extra chair at the table – all it’ll take is a minute and with Hashtag Chair, there can always be an open seat at your table. Or, make it a game for the dinner party, the last one to build their Hashtag Chair has to do the dishes.
Designer: YUUE Design Studio
