German designer Konstantin Grcic has created a straight-legged "archetypal" chair for Italian furniture brand Mattiazzi.

Unveiled at Milan design week, the Primo chair has been designed using only the most stripped-back elements, with its plain square seat sitting atop four "strictly vertical" legs, chosen by Grcic to give the chair a "strong architectural presence".
The back legs extend upwards to support a curved chair back, which has been slightly tilted to lend the chair some comfort, as well as contrast its straight lines.

"I felt like Mattiazzi had one chair missing, and that was the most archetypal, simple chair," Grcic told Dezeen. "A chair that you feel exists, but actually doesn't." Grcic previously created a bench-like chair for the Italian furniture manufacturer, using flat sloping planes of wood.

"I wanted Primo to have very upright geometry, and I think a chair that has completely vertical front and back legs has a very different presence," he said. "It relates to space and architecture."
The chair, which is designed for home environments as well as public spaces, comes in beechwood as well as black lacquered and gold finishes. There's also an upholstered version of the chair made from solid oak.

An accompanying Primo table mimics the shape of the chair with four plain vertical legs, each of which is detachable, allowing the table to be shipped flat. It is available in an additional fi...