There’s a family of beavers who live in the pond behind the cottage of designers Di Tao and Bob Dodd in the scenic Kawartha Highlands of Ontario, Canada, a few hours northeast of Toronto. It was while watching the beaver family’s movements that the duo came up with the design of their Beaver Tail Chair, a sculptural piece that captures the beauty and function of the animal’s iconic tail. 

Beavers slap their tails against the water’s surface to warn their colony that danger is approaching; when they hear this warning, they can stay underwater for up to 15 minutes. The Beaver Tail Chair is composed of 16 layers of stack-laminated wood carefully selected and hand shaped by the artisans to produce sweeping curves that mimic the shape of a beaver. Stack lamination is a woodworking technique where multiple thin pieces of wood are glued together in layers to form a thicker, solid mass. The designers say this approach allows them to create flowing, sculptural forms that would be challenging or wasteful to carve from a single block of wood. Although the chair is made entirely of wood, the interior of each chair is carefully carved out to create a hollow space, which helps keep its weight to around 120 pounds. 

“It is more than just a seating option; this chair offers a unique tactile experience, inviting you to touch and feel the flowing surface of the wood,” reveal Tao and Dodd. “Its sculptural design and organic wood grain allow it to blend seamlessly into any setting, whether it’s an artist’s studio, a cozy reading nook, or a modern living room.” It’s fitting that the chair was inspired by creatures that build, design, and maintain intricate lodges and dams out of wood on a daily basis.

Partners in life and design, Tao and Dodd founded their studio, Objects and Ideas, in 2015 to craft functional, artful furniture and lighting. Their combined backgrounds in industrial design and digital engineering drive a distinctive approach rooted in form and precision. Each Beaver Tail Chair is unique and takes over 140 hours to build, from stacking the volume to carving, grinding, sanding, and finishing. The chairs are made to order by Objects and Ideas and currently sell for $15,400.