Hiroi Chair by Industrial Facility

A small, good‑natured wooden chair for Ishinomaki Laboratory and SCP—square‑cut boards, exposed fixings, and one gentle steel arc where your shoulders want it.

Meet the Hiroi: the chair you grab without thinking and end up keeping for years. London studio Industrial Facility drew it for Ishinomaki Laboratory and SCP with an honest brief—use common boards, keep cuts simple, and let the build show. The proportions do the work: it’s a touch wider than it is deep, so it sits planted without feeling heavy. A single steel tube rises at the back like an easy handle; when you lean, it finds your shoulder blades and disappears from your mind. Materials shift by place—Noto cypress in Japan, Douglas fir in the UK, early runs in western red cedar—but the idea stays steady.

There’s a story behind the straightforward look. Ishinomaki Lab began after the 2011 earthquake, teaching neighbors to make furniture with basic tools and off‑the‑shelf materials. The Hiroi fits that spirit. You can buy it finished (which helps fund more workshops) or learn to build one yourself. The exposed screws and brackets aren’t a pose; they make repairs simple and tell you exactly how the chair goes together. It also lives well in tight spaces: the seat slips under counters and small tables, and the steel back gives you a one‑hand pull when dinner starts and two more people show up.

What it’s like to live with? Easy. You hear the soft scrape of wood as you pull it out, sit down, and forget about it until you stand again. Edges are eased where hands land; the grain picks up a quiet sheen over time; dings read like memories, not mistakes. In a kitchen, studio, or café, the Hiroi minds its business and does its job—steady, modest, and ready to join the rhythm of the room.