Walter Knoll Osuu Chair

Walter Knoll Osuu Chair

The new Osuu Chair by Walter Knoll is a lightweight wooden chair – minimalist and elegant, yet surprisingly complex. Its distinctive expression comes from the unique combination of bentwood and laminated wood. In its aesthetics and craftsmanship, the chair unites harmony and delicacy, creating its own particular poetry. The outer arc curves around the body and flows seamlessly into the front leg. Solid, steam-bent round wood forms the front legs, the armrests and the supporting upper backrest. The shell is as delicate as only handcrafted production can achieve.

The Osuu Chair is available in ash, white-pigmented oak, flamed oak and walnut. Walter Knoll is certified as a company to the FSC® standard. All wood variants of the Osuu Chair come from sustainably managed forests. The wood, sourced predominantly from southern Germany, along with all other materials, is procured within a radius of 450 kilometres of Walter Knoll's headquarters in Herrenberg. The walnut version is a particular rarity: selecting and working this material calls for exceptional craftsmanship, as only a few manufactories worldwide master the bending of walnut wood. FSC licence number: FSC-C168879.

The Osuu Chair is designed for the highest loads and tested to the American ANSI-BIFMA standard for office, lounge and public seating. Its timeless, elegant design is built for a long service life, to which the high-quality materials and precise workmanship contribute significantly.

Cushion pads in saddle leather

To extend the chair's service life, Walter Knoll dispenses entirely with screws and adhesives for all cushion pads. This conserves resources while making it easy to adapt the chair to your personal style and reupholster it. The cushion pad is simply slotted between the seat and the frame rail using tabs – with no tools or additional aids required.

"The chair embodies an inherent lightness, both in terms of its physical weight and the lightness of its design." – Mike Holland, Head of Industrial Design at Foster + Partners Industrial Design

Design: Foster + Partners Industrial Design

The art, craft and science of making have underpinned Foster + Partners Industrial Design for decades. The studio, founded by Norman Foster, today develops and realises innovative products of every scale – from tables to turbines – together with manufacturers, craftspeople and start-ups.

• Bentwood chair (solid wood) combined with a minimalist moulded seat shell made from 3D veneer
• Material: ash (lacquered), oak or walnut (with natural hardwax finish)
• Accessories: optional cushion pads available in Saddle or Paco leather
• Frame and seat shell are separable and recyclable
• Please note that every chair is a one-of-a-kind piece
• Colour and grain variations within a wooden frame or seat shell are typical of the material; sapwood, mirror-grain surfaces and small ingrown knots may be present
• The Osuu Chair carries the GS mark for Tested Safety
• Seat depth: 46 cm
• Seat height: 44.5 / 45.5 cm
• FSC certified

Dimensions (W x D x H): 58 x 54 x 77 cm

For further information on the product and the complete collection, please refer to the enclosed documents, which include supplementary product details, selected catalogues, and guidance on care and value retention.

Note: leather hides are selected by specialists according to strict criteria and high inspection standards. Leather naturally has both soft and firm areas of skin, which may be processed side by side. It stretches with body heat and moisture during use, which can create a certain amount of waves and creases (so-called seating hollows) – favourite seating spots show this particularly clearly. This adjustment process is largely complete after a few weeks; any further stretching is minimal and barely noticeable. Depending on the tanning method, dyeing and surface treatment, leather initially has a typical odour, which noticeably fades over a few weeks and can be reduced faster by airing. Walter Knoll uses several hides for one upholstered piece – no hide is identical to another. Insect bites, small injuries from fences or marks from tussles leave small scars on the cowhide, which you may rediscover in the leather. Fattening folds are a sign of the animal's health and good nutrition. These material-typical characteristics do not affect the quality of the leather furniture. Variations in sheen, colour and texture within a single hide and between the cut pieces of a cover are likewise characteristic and typical for leather furniture.