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BIG unveils a new sofa piece designed for Natuzzi Italia

2023-10-04T12:45:00-04:00

Furniture brand Natuzzi Italia has unveiled a sofa designed by Bjarke Ingels Group. The Colle Sofa, available online, draws inspiration from Natuzzi Italia’s early iconic designs, “known for their inviting, hospitable style that captures the essence of Mediterranean living,” as the company describes it.

Image credit: Natuzzi Italia

The piece is part of the wider Natuzzi Italia project titled ‘The Circle of Harmony,’ which has included a collaboration with dozens of renowned architects, artists, and designers over the past four years. Described by the company as “a physical and mental place that welcomes the most intimate and social moments by hosting quality time with ourselves and others,” the Colle Sofa features a wide selection of fabric and leather coverings.

Image credit: Natuzzi Italia

“Rooted in Natuzzi Italia's core values — Mediterranean flair, design, harmony, Italian character, innovation, comfort, and sustainability — the 2023 iteration of this philosophy, featuring the Co...

BIG's first couch is a kit of parts inspired by the video game Minecraft

2020-02-24T16:45:00-05:00

The Voxel consists of four core components: a seat, backrest/armrest, a pillow, and ottoman. The components can be configured in a number of ways, allowing users the freedom and flexibility to customize their optimum layout. According to Fast Company, BIG says the Voxel is inspired by everything from the game Minecraft to the modernism of Mies van der Rohe.

"Very often, architects are a little bit like curators of building components. We source door handles, lamps, window frames, heaters, and so forth. And so everything that goes into our buildings is something that another designer or engineer has done," said BIG partner Jakob Lange in a conversation with Fast Company's Mark Wilson. "The aim with BIG Ideas was to support the creation of the architecture, [when] sometimes we just simply couldn’t find the lamp or chair to fit our building."

People are having fun with IKEA's sofa planner — and the SOFFA SANS font is born

2019-07-03T14:00:00-04:00

Ikea has released a free font called Soffa Sans, inspired by all the memes born from its online “Design your own sofa” planner. The tool allows for customers to design the layouts and configurations of Ikea’s couches, from the Vimle sectionals to the Vallentuna modular sofa series. Once it was discovered that the planner allowed for basically any configuration with no limit to the cost, it inspired some Sims-like creativity from users.

The SOFFA SANS font was developed in partnership with UK agency Proximity London and is available for download here.

Some of the examples people used the sofa planner as a block-y drawing tool (which inspired the font) below.

pic.twitter.com/o75DdhB3D5
— forever (@perspectivator) June 23, 2019 there are 2 types of people. those who walk to the center, and those who hop. pic.twitter.com/HDe8n8HPip
— Morgan (Mostly Garbage, Partially 2 Day Old Bread) (@MeButInPogForm) June 23, 2019 If someone could give me £2,105.00, I'd put it to good use pic.twitter.com/XfXkrSUrtt
— Bamboolean (@bamboolean) June 23, 2019 I call this the "married but don't like each other." pic.twitter.com/uVo9auGKy0
— The Jenneral (@thejenneral) June 24, 2019 Sofa Bot 3000 welcomes you to his comfort party. pic.twitter.com/ofcQTxfzrM
— Sean (@seanlacey) June 24, 2019 Let's be honest, it was only ever going to end one way....... pic.twitter.com/7RbflIXgQ7
— James McLaughlin (@JS_McLaughlin) July 3, 2019...

"Charles and Ray Eames, meet Freddy Krueger": artist creates deformed furniture

2016-02-03T13:38:00-05:00

...the pieces in [Wurm's] latest show, Lost, appear as thought your living-room furniture took a nightmarish turn for the worse. Wurm modeled all of the objects in clay before distorting their form by stomping, smashing, or walking on them (the latter method can be seen clearly in the footprints on the torn-up chaise lounge). Wurm then cast the deformed pieces in bronze or polyester and painted [them].

A few pieces from the show:

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