VLINDER SOFA Hella Jongerius plays with the archetypal couch form, draping it in a fabric woven from eight colored yarns in two thicknesses. VITRACourtesy the designer and manufacturer
Who—or what—will we meet at this year’s Salone del Mobile, the 58th installment of the furniture fair in Milan? As designers meet increasingly stringent performance and sustainability requirements, to say nothing of ever more complex programs (a social club in an office, an office in a home), they’ve also begun to embrace personality in the objects they create. This is a moment not for systems furniture but of an almost zoological individualism. Look to Hella Jongerius’s Vlinder Sofa for Vitra, previewed last year and officially debuting at Milan this season. It’s a classic couch in a cozy sweater: offbeat, charismatic, casual, like a stylish hippopotamus. While the annual event promises innovative designs that push the industry forward in a serious manner, it’s good to remember that designing in ways both daring and critical can coexist with having fun. As the following page shows, there are lizards, round-winged birds, and three-legged bugs, if you only look for them.
N.200 LOUNGE CHAIR This interpretation—by Michael Anastassiades—of the classic bentwood brand amplifies curvaceous lines in a contemporary expression. GEBRÜDER THONET VIENNA
Courtesy the designer and manufacturer
N.200 LOUNGE CHAIR This interpretation—by Michael Anastassiades—of the classic bentwood brand amplifies curvaceous lines in a contemporary expression. GEBRÜDER THONET VIENNA
GREGOR Vincent Van Duysen’s newest sofa is easygoing and elegant, with two armrest types (winged and trapezoidal) and connecting units to support different uses. MOLTENI&C
Courtesy the designer and manufacturer
GREGOR Vincent Van Duysen’s newest sofa is easygoing and elegant, with two armrest types (winged and trapezoidal) and connecting units to support different uses. MOLTENI&C
ONA Another Herkner design, this time for Freifrau, this plush dining chair features a winglike wraparound back. Available at Studio Anise, New York. FREIFRAU
Courtesy the designer and manufacturer
ONA Another Herkner design, this time for Freifrau, this plush dining chair features a winglike wraparound back. Available at Studio Anise, New York. FREIFRAU
