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| Design Trends 2005
- SEATING |
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Current design is decidedly moving towards more exuberant, eclectic and free expression. After many years of rigid functionalism and formal purism we are seeing an exuberance of fresh, uncompromising ideas,. Solutions are emerging that evoke emotions, making us smile, wonder, remember and dream. Much is also being rediscovered from the legacy of great designers of the past, who in their time delivered remarkable solutions through their profound and concise reflections on industrial production. |
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Many new seating proposals surprise, charm and enchant us. Traditional forms such as the hammock and the rocking chair are back again. New textures are used in a context of bright colour accents, woven materials and metallic nets. |
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Patricia Urquiola has designed an idyllic hammock using a formal approach that is both refreshing and fascinating. Using leather upholstery, she has created an object that is as inviting and comfortable as an armchair. It is a symbol of the times, charged with the emotions and recollections which have also inspired the new range of small Smock armchairs. |
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Don’Do is an expression of modern classicism which merges traditional crafting and modern design. Jean Marie Massaud has created this seat which is produced in bent, multilayer beech with solid oak legs. The shell and the headrest cushion are covered in leather. |
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A company that is well known for the ample use it makes of natural materials, Pierantonio Bonacina proposes unusual tints for fabrics, weaves and finishes. Rodolfo Dordoni has begun his collaboration with the company with a collection that is remarkable for the fresh use made of lively colours such as cream, orange, cocoa, mud and graphite for rattan and linen/viscose fabrics. Colours are coordinated either by contrast or tone-on-tone. |
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Edra is currently the undisputed leader in expressionist design. Peter Traag’s Mummy chair has a seat and back hand-woven out of elastic grosgrain strips. The monochromatic effect is beautiful. |
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Whereas some designers have insisted on bright colours, Marcel Wanders proposes non-colours associated with neo-decorative shapes. New Antiques is a set of seats and small tables, in turned wood, painted matte black. The upholstery is in polyurethane, the covers in either smooth or worked leather. |
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As a tribute to the Catalano benches, designed by Oscar Tusquets and Lluis Clotet in 1974, Alfredo Haebeli has designed Los Bancos Suizos, a set of seats for public spaces, made in subtly perforated sheet metal. These seats can be used indoors as well as outdoors and will accommodate either people just sitting, people sitting at a table or people leaning at a counter. |
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The small Dora chair is a pioneering design by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba, based on innovative moulding technology. For the first time, a rotational moulding process has been used in production, in order to obtain a patterned surface. The floral surface design is first engraved on the face of the mould. From the subsequent moulding process, the design emerges through the interplay of brighter and darker elements. |
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The Happy series of seats have an elegant metal structure, enriched by the leather string weave of their backs. The curved frames sustain soft and inviting cushions. These elegant pieces set a strong accent in interior spaces. |
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Moving away from the minimalism that Minotti has always adhered to, the company now introduces Cortina, designed by Gordon Guillaumier. This seat, made out of metal netting and mesh has a bright chrome finish. The removable covers are in precious reindeer leather. |
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