PEQUE
The project brief for this chair was to create the perfect seat in which to read a book that holds personal significance to the designer. Peque—short for pequeño, the Spanish word for “small”—draws inspiration from The Little Prince, the beloved book that serves as the foundation for this design. This seat is envisioned as a throne fit for a little prince, with an oversized scale that evokes the feeling of a small child sitting in a grand chair.
PROJECT Details
Though technically a children’s book, The Little Prince explores themes that continue to resonate deeply with adults, offering new insights at different stages of life. It challenges adult priorities, often highlighting their peculiar nature—something the Little Prince frequently observes, remarking, “Grown-ups are certainly very, very odd.”
Inspired by this spirit of questioning conventional adult priorities, particularly dull, purely practical, traditional aesthetics, the design reimagines traditional upholstery with an unusually playful, chunky weave.
PROCESS + Construction
Over the course of 10 weeks, this chair was designed and built. Sketching rounds and mockups were integral to refining both the design language and overall ergonomics. After finalizing the height and posture using a plywood mockup, 8/4 cherry was glued up to form the chair’s panels. The seat panel features a kerf-cut and bent plywood structure, which supports the upholstery.
The structure is quite simple: the side panels and stretchers are joined with mortise and tenon joinery. The stretchers have clearance holes that allow the bent plywood upholstery panel, fitted with threaded inserts, to be securely attached to the frame with bolts. This straightforward construction creates an efficient yet highly structural base, allowing for organic, sculptural shaping of the side panels, which gives it the human touch that brings this seat to life.
CURIOSITY + WHIMSY
The off-white bouclé, sewn into large tubes and woven together, forms a plush, inviting cushion—perfect for lounging and reading—while evoking a sense of curiosity and whimsy. The fabric choice, reminiscent of contemporary trends, balances sophistication with playfulness, capturing the sense of wonder that children bring to the mundane.
This design embraces playfulness, elegance, and the unexpected—a “little big throne” meant to make the user feel delightfully small while seated in its intentionally oversized proportions.