Inspiration

X-Stool is one of the reinventions of the Butterfly Stool by MUT Design Studio. Its shape is nearly the same as the Butterfly Stool, but the structure is completely different: it uses the technique tenon-and-mortise to form the “X” shape. Compared to the Butterfly Stool, the curve of the X stool is less obvious, as the lower part of the X-Stool is flat and straight till the bottom.

Yanagi came up with this design by folding a piece of paper in his hand. He liked to create by randomly manipulating materials in his hands. This comes from a concept called Mingei, which means creating things by using the material with only your hand, and the Butterfly Stool once again shows people how Yanagi combined Western or modern art techniques with traditional Japanese design concepts[Cf]

Yanagi’s Butterfly Stool inspired designers throughout the centuries, like Carol Catalano. One of his designs is named Capelli Stool. The use of materials is similar to Yanagi’s work. The wood grain appears malleable by using the technique of bentwood plywood, which helps to form a curved shape and uniquely sculptural features. In Catalano’s stool, the grain relates to the “capelli” in its title, which means hair, while in Yanagi's stool, the wood grain perfectly highlights the spreading of the butterfly’s wings.

The stool was also reinvented into creative works by other French artists. By recreating the Butterfly Stool, artists gave the Butterfly Stool new meaning. For example, by using half of the Butterfly Stool, it was transformed into a tribal mask by Guillaume Delvigne. He only used one wing of the original stool, but with the help of a brass stretcher and some paint, the Butterfly Stool was remade into an unexpected mask. Mainly focusing on the shape of wings, interior and object designer Mathieu Lehanneur turned Yanagi’s stool into a skateboard through reshaping. Apart from being artistic, the stool could also be “practical”. It was Bachelot and Caron who used the butterfly stool as head pieces, which broke through people's imagination.

Though the design of the Butterfly Stool is over 60 years old, it is still considered an icon of modern furniture design and continues to be a great source of inspiration.