The Japanese design studio AtMa presented the J-39.5 series, a research project that revisits the iconic J39 chair by Danish designer Børge Mogensen.

Rather than reproducing the classic design, the project investigates the life cycle of furniture through reuse, reconstruction, and material experimentation. Broken or damaged J39 chairs were disassembled and their wooden components reassembled into new seating forms.

Each object in the series becomes a reinterpretation of the original structure, transforming familiar elements into experimental compositions that blur the line between furniture, prototype, and sculptural study.

Presented within the atmospheric setting of Alcova, the installation highlights a process of circular design, where existing objects are not discarded but reimagined, allowing traditional craftsmanship to evolve through new structural possibilities.

Prototype wooden chair with woven seat from the J-39.5 series by AtMa, inspired by Børge Mogensen’s J39 design.
Research installation explaining AtMa’s J-39.5 project inspired by Børge Mogensen’s J39 chair at Alcova Milano 2025.
Two experimental wooden seating objects from AtMa’s J-39.5 series inspired by the classic J39 chair, exhibited at Alcova Milano 2025.
Reconstructed wooden chair from the J-39.5 series by AtMa, inspired by Børge Mogensen’s J39 chair, displayed at Alcova Milano 2025.
Deconstructed wooden chair structure from the J-39.5 project by AtMa displayed on pedestal at Alcova Milano 2025.