The sculptural minimalist

Jürgen Laub and Markus Jehs have been working for COR for a long time and have designed successful collections such as ‘Jalis’, ‘Mell’ and ‘Nook’. After two years of development, they will be presenting ‘Kagu’, a minimalist chair for the East Westphalian seating furniture manufacturer, at the Milan Design Week in April, which is just as suitable for the private environment as it is for the contract sector.

‘Kagu’ is a design that is both creatively and technically complex. With its minimalist design language, the armchair appears clear and geometrically precise without being overly cool. This is due in particular to the materials used, which have a warm appearance and are also interesting to the touch: While the frame is made of natural oiled or open-pore lacquered ash or oak wood, the upholstered seat shell is available in various textile and leather coverings. ‘Kagu is a successful symbiosis of two materials that are important to COR – upholstery and wood,’ says Leo Lübke, Managing Partner of the company. ‘Both symbolise the qualities of COR.’

Making complex design solutions look simpler than they actually are – this is an art that Jehs+Laub have always mastered. This is also demonstrated by their current design for COR, in which the chair frame consists of slender wooden legs that extend up to the armrests and are connected to a central, stabilising wooden cross. On this rests a steel seat shell that looks like it is floating and is fully upholstered and fitted with an invisible spring base for improved comfort. However, the real design highlight and innovative technical feature is the movable backrest, which makes the chair extremely comfortable – even when sitting for long periods. ‘The highly upholstered shell is clamped into the base frame and swings freely,’ say the designers.

Cosiness is very much in demand in interior design at the moment – whether at home, in restaurants and hotels or at the workplace. It is therefore fitting that ‘Kagu’, with its tactile combination of wood and upholstery, has a very cosy feel. ‘It was important to us that you can see immediately that the chair is comfortable,’ says Jürgen Laub. That's why ‘Kagu’ is designed in such a way that all elements are precisely harmonised with each other, so that one detail cannot function without the other – while at the same time reducing the use of materials. The fact that craftsmanship is always an essential element of design at COR is also reflected in ‘Kagu’. The sophisticated details are elaborate to produce, especially the upholstery of the seat shell. The new ‘Kagu’ armchair by Jehs+Laub will be on display in a colourful staging at the COR flat in the Brera district from 7 to 13 April 2025 during Milan Design Week.

Brera Design District
@ Studio Cagnato
Via Solferino 11
20121 Milan

Opening times
7 to 12 April 2025, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
13 April 2025, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.