Josie, the chair that pops

Josie is the protagonist of 1999 hit high school romcom Never Been Kissed. 

Played by Drew Barrymore, geeky Josie spent her high school years on the social outer – harassed and tormented by the cool kids. Cruelly nicknamed Josie Grossie, never invited to the prom and always the one left sitting alone on a chair at parties. “But what if the party came to her?” have wondered Erika Zorzi and Matteo Sangalli , founders of Mathery Studio.

Initially designed as a personal project, Josie was born from the idea of empathising with a moment – the action of seating. Driven by the need to restore a WOW effect and sense of occasion, Josie celebrates the person who is seated and moreover, celebrates design. Josie is a performative chair fashioned from beech wood, defined by simple design features and chunky lines. But her whimsicality lies in that moment – the second before seating. Josie lives for this and responds with a joyous burst of colour.  Celebrating her glorious design, Josie evaluates the act of seating as a triumph. The Josie chair was manufactured in Melbourne and can now be found celebrating at parties in Milan.

Josie Chair
Design: Mathery Studio
Video: Coco & Maximilian – music: Alex Albrecht
Chair manufactured by: James Devery, Luke Macmahon, Abde Nouamani Laraichi, Michael Chazan