Family Portrait

Name: Mariia Pashenko, Koen Schaballie, Chloé, Eva ● Activity: Architects ● Location: Home/Office ● City: London, UK ● Product: Nychair X Shikiri, Nychair X Rocking Shikiri, Nychair X Ottoman Shikiri

‘Becoming parents made us more organised and focused on our work, because kids are away for only nine hours a day, five days a week. So all the work-related activities have to preferably fit in this time frame. Working from home makes our work-life balance more manageable.’ Mariia Pashenko and Koen Schaballie founded their own architecture studio called Pashenko Works. Their office is located at the front of their house. They renovated this traditional terrace house into a modern patio house, combining tradition and modernity, with a seamless connection between the interior and the terrace, and created a space where private life and work can intermingle.

‘Inspiration and ideas for architectural designs often come to us during casual activities, such as taking a shower, shopping, going for a walk, or listening to music. However, we often spend a lot of time in front of the computer, so we work while moving around the house—the living room, bedroom, and garden.’

The lightweight Nychair X Shikiri chairs fit in with the lifestyle of the couple, who often move around the house, and the lifestyle of the children, who are busy with their own activities. The Nychair X Shikiri and Nychair X Rocking Shikiri can be used as working chairs by the parents who want to concentrate in a relaxed position, and as relaxing chairs for the children. The Nychair X Ottoman Shikiri can be used as a chair in front of a desk for drawing, or it can also be used as a table.

The pattern of the Shikiri fabric is inspired by traditional Japanese folding screens and blinds, which can be moved and create a subtle connection between the indoors and outdoors.

In their family, each member has time to indulge in their private life, but there is also time for everyone to get together and communicate. When a children’s painting is complete, it is time to show it to everyone. ‘Now, where should we go next weekend?’

Nychair X and Nychair X Rocking are not only great for relaxing, their stability and comfort also allow their user to focus when working on a laptop. The specific curved shape of Nychair X Rocking’s legs makes it easy to sit and stand up quickly whenever needed.

The three different seat designs of Shikiri use a common colour thread woven into the fabric to create harmony when placed together. The seat is low and slightly wide, providing stability when sitting with children.

The versatile Nychair X Ottoman can also be used as a table or stool. When sitting on it, the fabric stretches just enough to provide cushioning, allowing one to comfortably concentrate on drawing for a long time.

Connecting a variety of activities and spaces

さまざまなアクティビティとスペースをつなぐ

Nychair X Shikiri chairs can easily adapt to the needs of Mariia Pashenko, Koen Schaballie, and their daughters Chloé and Eva as a family of four, and to the individual activities of each family member who live together in the same place. The arms of Nychair X Shikiri and Nychair X Rocking Shikiri are placed at the right angle for relaxing or working on a laptop. Small and light, the chairs can be carried around the house and in the garden. The seat fabric can easily be removed and dry-cleaned. It can be used for a long time, accompanying the growth of their children. Unlike the rest of the series, the armrests of Shikiri are made of oak. The soap finish retains the feel of wood surfaces and allows the user to enjoy using the chair as it changes over time. The charcoal black urethane resin finish looks just like charcoal, giving it a sense of serenity and toning up the space.