A chair that keeps your books within reach. Kino, a 3d-printed chair with shelf designed by Barcelona-based designer Pablo Castillo, slides a shelf beneath a cantilevered seat and stores reading material where a sitter can grab it.
Castillo designed Kino for Decibel, an American company that makes 3D-printed furniture and installations. The chair is shortlisted for seating design of the year in the upcoming Dezeen Awards.
Designing a 3d-printed chair with shelf around the printer
Castillo set out to create a recognisable chair silhouette. He also wanted the design to respond to the way 3D printing builds an object, one thin layer at a time.
Kino is a chair built as a monobloc, meaning one continuous component forms every part. That single piece creates the T-shaped seat, two legs, the shelf and a curved backrest.
The chair is printed from PLA, the most common bioplastic. Castillo reinforced the material with cellulose plant fibres, which add strength and make this cantilevered design possible. Decibel also offers an outdoor version printed from recycled PETG, a thermoplastic polyester.
Letting the process shape the form
Castillo wanted the thickness of the plastic and the layered build to define the chair’s character. “I wanted the substantial thickness of the plastic and the way it builds a product layer by layer to translate into features that give the chair its character,” he told Dezeen.
That approach pushed him past standard dimensions and ergonomic rules of thumb. “Following this line of thought allowed me to move beyond mere dimensions and general ergonomic considerations,” he said. “The cantilevered seat, the under-seat storage, and specific details such as the T-junctions naturally emerged.”
The T-shaped seat projects both forwards and backwards from its supports. That cantilever makes the chair more flexible than a typical 3D-printed seat, which improves comfort.
Castillo strengthened the lower part of the seat with a corrugated structure built directly into the print. “By reinforcing the lower part of the seat with a corrugated structure integrated directly into the 3D print, we achieved a chair that offers a slightly broader range of motion than a traditional design,” he said. “It seamlessly accommodates highly reclined, relaxed postures, as well as more active positions when the user leans forward.”
Kino’s cantilevered seat also raises the question of how furniture moves with its user. Hirotaka Tako’s stool gliding on hidden casters offers another take on mobility, with a minimalist build that rolls smoothly across the floor.
Part of a wider editions line
This piece joins Decibel’s Editions collection, which includes chairs by Charles Birshaw, Karim Rashid and Deniz Aktay. The New Jersey-based brand introduced the collection in 2025 with an exhibition at the Alcova show in Milan. During the show, it live-printed chairs in the former SNIA factory in Varedo.
Decibel produces the chairs on a Caracol robotic 3D printer. The method allows shapes that injection moulding could not produce, which suits a design built around the logic of the print itself.
H/T dezeen.com
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the Kino chair with a shelf?
Kino was designed by Pablo Castillo, a Barcelona-based designer, for Decibel, an American company that makes 3D-printed furniture and installations.
What material is the Kino chair printed from?
The Kino chair is printed from PLA, the most common bioplastic, reinforced with cellulose plant fibres that add strength and make the cantilevered design possible. Decibel also offers an outdoor version printed from recycled PETG, a thermoplastic polyester.
How does the Kino chair store reading material?
Kino slides a shelf beneath its cantilevered seat, so reading material can be stored where the sitter can grab it. The shelf is part of the same monobloc piece that forms the seat, legs and backrest.
How is the Kino chair manufactured?
Decibel produces the Kino chair on a Caracol robotic 3D printer. The printing method allows shapes that injection moulding could not produce.
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