After toying with the notion of using red oak, Collins eventually decided to make it his piece in American cherry at the behest of his mentor Tomoko Azumi. ‘Red oak is a material you can stain or chemically whiten easily,’ Collins says. However, he feared it might make the chair appear a little ‘cold’. ‘The sense of isolation I want to achieve isn’t unwelcoming,’ he continues. ‘It is intended to be warm and inviting.’ Cherry became the perfect fit.