Chair series: Wishbone

Are you in for a story about another chair? Today I'd like to introduce you to Wishbone by Hans Wegner, sometimes also known as "Y" chair.

If you don't know what a wishbone is, it is a forked bone between the neck and breast of a bird. According to a popular custom, this bone from a cooked bird is broken by two people, with the holder of the longer portion being entitled to make a wish. You can see this "wishbone" at the chair's back. Hopefully it doesn't break so easily.

Hans Wegner was inspired by traditional Chinese Ming chairs. His version was made with a solid wood frame and a woven paper cord seat, giving it a minimalist and modern look. It's became very popular, and though not everyone knows about Chinese origins of this Danish design, it's been resurfacing as a part of traditional Chinese tea rooms everywhere, blending seamlessly with the rest of elements.

If you consider this a case of culture appropriation by a Danish designer, I'd say it's been successfully re-appropriated by China, with plentiful variations of this design on Taobao and not a single mention of Hans Wegner or Denmark.

I dare to say it's more politically correct to order this chair from China for less, than from where it's been originally made (probably still China anyways). Will still be around $100-120 though due to wood and rattan.