The Facade chair by Junha Kahm separates its construction into a stainless steel tube frame and eight interchangeable PETG panels that attach with bolts and threaded inserts. Built around a 1:2 proportional system, the design uses identical symmetrical panel components across the seat and backrest to simplify manufacturing, replacement and reconfiguration. The modular structure allows the chair to be fully disassembled into compact parts sized to fit inside a standard shopping basket. Translucent and opaque PETG panels alter the chair's appearance while retaining the same structural framework.
Rounded PETG connectors join the stainless steel tubes, introducing softened intersections that contrast with the brushed metal frame. The geometry incorporates a 14-degree rear leg splay with additional 3-degree and 8-degree connection angles that contribute to stability and seating posture. Kahm references architectural façades by treating the frame as the permanent structure and the removable panels as replaceable cladding.
Image Credit: Junha Kahm
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Interchangeable Furniture Panels
- Modular surfaces enable products to shift aesthetics, materials and maintenance cycles without replacing the underlying structure, creating value through longer-lasting customizable furnishings.
- Flat-pack Disassembly
- Compact breakdown into basket-sized components points to new models for lower-cost logistics, easier repair access and more flexible consumer transport.
- Architectural Furniture Systems
- Borrowing façade logic for chairs suggests furniture platforms where permanent frames support replaceable cladding, encouraging personalization and circular material use.
Where This Applies
- Furniture Design
- Component-based seating expands opportunities for configurable product lines that balance standardized manufacturing with visual variety and part-level replacement.
- Sustainable Materials
- Reusable PETG panels and durable metal frames highlight demand for material systems that reduce waste through selective swapping instead of full-product disposal.
- Retail Logistics
- Furniture engineered to fit standard shopping baskets signals potential for more efficient in-store merchandising, self-service pickup and reduced packaging volume.
