Icons of the past are back in the spotlight, with a particular focus on sustainability and environmental impact. Nature, art, design and architecture offer inspirations for sofas that stand out for their painstaking research on forms and materials. Visible frames and cushions alternate, creating games where the precision of lines blends with organic volumes and taut silhouettes.
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The original, eclectic approach of Sabine Marcelis can be seen in the Block sofa for the new collection of Natuzzi Italia. The Block is a project with a sculptural aesthetic, where soft, ample forms of the upholstery meet the essential, squared lines of the monolithic base in natural bamboo. The sofa, offered in linear versions of different sizes, covered in leather or fabric, stands out for its lightness, offering the possibility of movement to meet new needs, using wheels applied to the frontal part of the base.
In collaboration with Tobia Scarpa, Cassina reprises the Soriana sofa contained in the company archives, with maximum respect for values of authenticity, using eco-sustainable materials. Soriana was designed in 1969 by Afra & Tobia Scarpa and won the Compasso d’Oro award one year later. Today its spirit remains intact, while the construction and the materials have been completely updated for an ecological version, for lower environmental impact and greater comfort, thanks to work conducted by Cassina LAB, in collaboration between the Cassina Research Center and Poli.design of Politecnico di Milano.
Roundness and comfort. Tradition and innovation. These are the key terms of Orsola (on cover), a project from 1970 by Gastone Rinaldi for Tacchini, now reissued with its original spirit but with padding of the latest generation, supported by the rounded chrome-plated metal structure to generate an even softer, more relaxing image. The sofa is made by hand by master upholsterers, as it was 50 years ago, but it has been reinterpreted in a contemporary style.
The Gaudì sofa by Matteo Nunziati for Flou comes in two sizes, one large, the other more compact in length and depth. The protagonist is solid wood, which with its natural curves defines the form. Starting with the wooden feet, it extends to the armrests and back, creating a sinuous framework that welcomes the soft covering and the cushions. The completely removable cover comes in fabric or leather.
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The Sumo sofa by Piero Lissoni for Living Divani comes from a very simple idea: a very thin platform on which to place very low cushions. The new variation has a surface in canaletto walnut, topped by volumes of different thicknesses, with the option of adding a headrest mechanism that can be adjusted in various positions, modifying the overall height and boosting comfort, to interpret new attitudes and rituals of bodies and minds.
The Suiseki collection designed by Andrea Steidl for LaCividina is inspired by the Japanese art of the same name, involving the arrangement of stones found in nature. Essential modules (completely reversible and sustainable) with organic volumes, where geometry leaves room for spontaneous, harmonious altered alignments. It all starts with three elements: the low, ample seat, the back and the armrest, to be combined in a staggered balance of heights, widths and depths. The results are sculptural sofas that respond to all kinds of needs, in the home and for contract projects.
The TabaA collection for Moroso confirms the fertile collaboration between the Italian company and the Swiss/Argentine designer Alfredo Häberli. The TABA philosophy is based on the overlaying of different organic lines and soft asymmetrical forms. The series is composed of eight pieces: a sofa, two armchairs and five ottomans. The idea stems from an old rural pastime in Argentina, involving the throwing of a cattle bone.
The idea behind Shifu by Borzalino is to shape soft geometric modules held together by a light metal structure composed of a few simple tapered parts. The armrests and back extend downwards to embrace the seat.
