Skip to main content

MUST I

MUST I CHAIR

DESIGNER: TOMASZ MATEJCZYK

An upholstered chair with an elegant, light form, a distinctive two-piece backrest and a base made of solid beech wood.

The Must I chair stands out harmonious silhouette and characteristic two-piece backrest, whose rounded upper element gives the piece a distinctive character. The soft lines of the upholstered surfaces blend harmoniously with the wooden base, creating an elegant form with balanced proportions.

Gently contoured backrest and soft seat They provide comfort during everyday use. The distinctive upper backrest complements the natural form, and the lack of armrests allows for comfortable seating at the table.

Base made of solid beech wood emphasizes the craftsmanship of the design. Smooth transitions between the legs and the seat frame create a cohesive, refined whole. Four wood color variants allow the chair to be matched to various arrangements and material combinations.

Thanks to its universal aesthetics, Must I fits both in residential interiors as well as contract spaces. It will work well in home dining rooms, restaurants, hotels and meeting rooms, introducing natural materials and elegance to the interior.

AWARDS RECEIVED

TYPE
Upholstered chair without armrests

DESTINY
Residential and contract interiors
Possibility of using flame retardant foam

LEGS
Beech wood – oil: Scandinavian, walnut, ebony, black

UPHOLSTERY
Fabric or leather

COUNTRY OF PRODUCTION
Poland

Technical information
DIMENSIONS
DOWNLOAD
USE

Materials and finishes

14 materials

DESIGNER

TOMASZ MATEJCZYK

Co-founder of the nobonobo brand, which he founded with Monika Struska. Today, he combines his role as designer with responsibility for collection development, also through collaborations with other artists. His designs demonstrate a commitment to simplifying form and working with pure geometry.

The furniture he designed in the nobonobo collection includes the Classic and Feza sofas and the Siga 80 armchair, which combines a massive shape with the softness of the material and a clear reference to the aesthetics of the 1980s.

FIND OUT MORE

DISCOVER OUR CHAIRS

Nobonobo chairs combine comfortable seating with refined form and carefully selected materials. The collection includes upholstered, wooden, metal, and woven models, as well as chairs with armrests, swivel chairs, rocking chairs, and stools. The variety of designs and finishes allows for the creation of cohesive yet individual dining room arrangements.

Are you an Architect or Interior Designer?
Join the dedicated Zone For Professionals

REGISTER

Need individual support?

Contact our advisor who will propose appropriate solutions.

Would you like to see our furniture live?
Visit one of our showrooms

showroom Bielsko-Biała
Księdza Stanisława Stojałowskiego 63,
43-300 Bielsko-Biała
showroom WARSAW
Józefa Piusa Dziekońskiego 1,
00-728 Warsaw
showroom Gdynia
Henryka Sienkiewicza 44,
81-374 Gdynia

Powered by
►
Necessary cookies enable essential site features like secure log-ins and consent preference adjustments. They do not store personal data.
None
►
Functional cookies support features like content sharing on social media, collecting feedback, and enabling third-party tools.
None
►
Analytical cookies track visitor interactions, providing insights on metrics like visitor count, bounce rate, and traffic sources.
None
►
Advertisement cookies deliver personalized ads based on your previous visits and analyze the effectiveness of ad campaigns.
None
Powered by

Must I Chair

Technical information

Technical dimensions [mm]
1. Total height 880
2. Overall width 530
3. Total depth 550
4. Seat depth 450
5. Seat height 470
6. Leg height 410

DOWNLOAD PRODUCT CARD

EXPAND ↓
Product card

DOWNLOAD PRODUCT CARD

LOGIN

Are you an architect or interior designer?

Register at Professionals Zone, to access 3D files, inspiring photos and more.

LOGIN

DOWNLOAD EXCLUSIONS

DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE

THOMAS
MATEJCZYK

Co-founder of the nobonobo brand, which he founded together with Monika Struska. His path to design led through quality and craftsmanship; his previous experience in the automotive industry taught him an appreciation for design, materials and precision. Today, he combines the role of designer with responsibility for the development of the collection, also through collaboration with other creators. His designs are closely linked to the perspective of a craftsman and his pursuit of simplifying form and working with pure geometry.

The furniture he designed in the nobonobo collection includes the Classic and Feza sofas and the Siga 80 armchair, which combines a massive shape with the softness of the material and a clear reference to the aesthetics of the 1980s.

Nobonobo was created as a joint brand by you and Monika Struska. Initially, you weren't a designer. At what point did you start designing products in parallel, and how did that influence the brand's development?

My path to design led through quality and craftsmanship. My previous experience in the automotive industry taught me to pay attention to design, materials, and precision, including those elements of the product that the customer doesn't see but whose quality is felt during use. Over time, I became increasingly involved in shaping the furniture itself: its proportions, detail, comfort, and character. 

Alongside my responsibility for brand development, I also felt the need to give specific products their own unique form, and these two roles began to intertwine. To this day, the craftsman's perspective remains very close to my heart – an idea must be effective in terms of material, construction, and everyday use, especially in the case of a sofa, which is experienced both visually and with the whole body.

bibia dąb naturalny detal pion

Today, you combine the roles of designer and collection development co-creator through collaboration with other creators. How does this dual perspective impact how you define brand cohesion?

I look at each piece of furniture both as a standalone project and as part of a larger whole. As a designer, I focus on proportion, detail, and comfort; as a co-creator of nobonobo, I evaluate what a given piece brings to the collection and the direction it takes the brand forward.

I define cohesion primarily through consistency in decision-making. My benchmarks are expressive form, thoughtful comfort, and craftsmanship. This provides us with a common foundation while also allowing room for diverse creative personalities. It also requires a sense of distance from my own creation: I evaluate my own designs according to the same criteria as others. It is precisely in these choices that brand cohesion is born – in the conscious building of relationships between products that possess their own personalities, yet together create a recognizable collection.

Designs like Classic demonstrate a commitment to simplified form. What's your process like working with geometry, where's the fine line between simplicity and loss of character?

When working with geometry, the most important thing for me is the relationship between the individual parts of a piece of furniture: the width of the armrest relative to the seat, the height of the backrest, the proportions of the base and the overall shape. These relationships determine whether a sofa appears light, substantial, calm, or expressive. With a minimalist form, even a small change can significantly impact the character of the piece.

For me, the Classic is all about the balance between clear geometry and softness. The simple shape organizes the silhouette, while the cushions and upholstery lend it a relaxed, welcoming feel. The limits of simplification appear when yet another change begins to weaken what makes the piece recognizable. A well-simplified form possesses a certain obviousness: the individual parts fit together in a way that makes it difficult to imagine any other solution.

„The connection to the 1980s has a personal meaning for me, connected to childhood memories. The boldness, exuberance of form, and distinct personality of objects from that aesthetic are close to my heart. This project demonstrates the direction I want to develop at nobonobo: greater freedom in scale, more sculptural forms, and a bolder use of materials.”

Collections like Feza demonstrate the concept of furniture as an arrangement of solids functioning in relationship. When designing, do you think more about a single object or about a structure that organizes space?

I think primarily about the furniture as a whole, whose character stems from the relationships between its elements. In a sofa, the seat, backrest, armrests, and base must work together. I'm interested in how several shapes create one expressive, well-thought-out object. Modularity is also crucial for Feza: when designing such a piece, you have to consider both the individual element and its possible connections with others. Joints, line continuity, and how the sofa's proportions change as it expands become crucial. I want Feza to retain its character in both compact and more expansive versions, with each element finding its justification and creating a compelling whole with the others.

The latest Siga 80 armchair features a tension between the massive, blocky form and the softness of the material, with a clear reference to the aesthetic of the 1980s. How did you work on this balance, and what does this design say about the future development of the brand's language?

I wanted the solidity of the shape and the softness to reinforce each other. The blocky elements give the armchair a decisive silhouette, while the upholstery makes this same form pleasant to the touch. I sought balance primarily in the proportions of the seat, backrest, and armrests. In such a piece, even the slightest change in curve or fabric tension can determine whether the shape feels stiff or inviting.

The connection to the 1980s also has a personal meaning for me, connected to childhood memories. The boldness, exuberance of form, and distinct personality of objects from that aesthetic are close to my heart. This project demonstrates the direction I want to develop at nobonobo: greater freedom in scale, more sculptural forms, and a bolder use of materials. Simplicity is still important to me, but I'm increasingly interested in how much expression can be achieved with a few decisive elements.

„I look at each piece of furniture as both a standalone project and part of a larger whole. As a designer, I focus on proportions, detail, and comfort; as a co-creator of nobonobo, I evaluate what a given piece brings to the collection and the direction in which it develops the brand.”

When designing and developing a brand, you balance intuition with strategic decisions. What matters more to you today: consistency in design language, user needs, or the brand's business development?

I don't consider these three elements to be competing. For me, a good brand is created when form, user needs, and business development support each other. If one of these areas begins to dominate at the expense of the others, the product loses its balance. However, the starting point is always the furniture itself: it must have a compelling form, be comfortable, and meet the user's real needs. It's also important how it ages and how the user perceives it after several years, not just at the time of its release.

I don't understand consistency in brand language as repeating the same solutions, but as a way of thinking about proportion, comfort, build quality, and expressiveness. I view business development as a consequence of a good product, not the other way around.

TOMASZ MATEJCZYK'S PROJECTS

table BIBIA

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

sofa CLASSIC

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

sofa CLASSIC LOW

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

Armchair SIGA 80

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

sofa FEZA

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

sofa FEZA LOW

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

table FEZA

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

table FEZA LAVA

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

sofa UMO

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

sofa UMO O

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

sofa UMO X

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

bed UMO

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

Armchair PYORA I 

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

Armchair PYORA II

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

bed PYORA

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

sofa BRIDGE

Designer Tomasz Matejczyk

SEARCH ENGINE

Discover nobonobo

Find your model, collection or inspiration.