AE OFFICE‘s Land Rocking Chair challenges the boundaries of regional design by blending tradition and industrial innovation. The duo describes their approach as creating “pseudo-regional objects”—products that reinterpret familiar forms “utilizing natural or industrial materials that are specific to a region.” “What differentiates our approach is that we don’t start with something new. Instead, we begin with what already exists around us,” they explain. This philosophy drives their distinctive design language: a deliberate return to what already exists, rather than inventing anew.
The Land Rocking Chair exemplifies this ethos. The starting point was a standardized decorative panel found in a Berlin building materials shop. Historically hand-carved by craftsmen, these panels are now mass-produced in spruce wood, bridging the gap between artisanal legacy and industrial manufacturing. AE OFFICE saw potential in these understated materials, crafting a rocking chair that reflects Germany’s industrial vernacular while maintaining a contemporary appeal. “We wanted to create a chair showing an industrial code—easy to assemble and rework the existing visual language into something more natural,” the designers shared.
The chair was designed to be assembled by the user, allowing it to be reduced to a quarter of its original size when disassembled. As the designers explained, “We avoided overemphasizing the traditional characteristics of the material itself, aiming to create a sense of visual stability.” Function and aesthetics converge through material-driven design. The 18mm spruce panels form the chair’s structure, their beveled and etched edges creating an optical illusion of lightness. To balance practicality with visual appeal, AE OFFICE ensured the chair’s upright posture supports comfortable rocking without excessive tilting. Exposed bolts accentuate its assembly-based design while adding structural integrity.
Environmental considerations were central to material selection. The standardized panels enabled localized production and minimized transportation impact by allowing the chair to be disassembled into compact parts. The spruce wood’s lightweight properties reduced the overall weight without compromising strength, while its natural finish highlights its organic origins.
