

No sharp edges: the latest trend in upholstered furniture
Forget boxy sofas pressed up against the wall. There’s a new, sculpture-like kind of upholstered furniture on the scene – and it’s prompting us to rethink the way we design indoor spaces.
Although they all look different, there’s something they have in common. The armchairs and sofas I’m seeing at Bohinc, Atelier L’inconnu, Sancal, Khaled El Mays and in our profuct range have little to no right angles. Instead, they’re wavy, crooked or puffed up. The designs are inspired by natural elements. Maybe that’s why they’d rather form a dynamic living room arrangement in themselves than be relegated to the confines of a static wall.
Huggable seating by Bohinc
When you sit in an armchair, the cushion usually hides your butt. Not the case with the «Derriere» design. In this piece, Laura Bohinc has created an opening where you normally wouldn’t find one, and added a second butt. Its back rest looks like someone’s rear end. The armchair is part of the «Peaches» seating collection. According to the designer, everything in it represents a «huggable female form», which is why she went for curves instead of straight lines. In doing so, she’s turned otherwise rectangular back rests into puffy cushions that resemble breasts and buttocks. The grooves represent folds of skin on the body.


Source: Alcova, 2022
Cacti for cuddling by Atelier L’inconnu
A cactus plant doesn’t exactly scream, «come have a seat». The only exception to this is «Cacti». There’s no chance of a pinprick from its spines and blooming flowers, as they’re well cushioned. The brain behind the chair is Fadi Yachoui, a designer and architect with an admiration for cactus plants. To him, the prickly cacti symbolise endurance, as they’re able to withstand all types of weather. Even their flowers can thrive in harsh conditions. Wrapped up in Bouclé fabric, the cacti’s defence mechanism looks inviting.



Source: Salone Satellite, 2022
All tied up: seating by Sancal
The «Link & Loop» seat does away with straight lines, too. Designed by Studiopepe for Sancal, the chair consists of two rings hooked onto each other. In order to rework conventional seating, the designer duo transferred curved chain links over to furniture design. The configuration can be lengthened as much or as little as you like. To my eye, however, it’s more of a snake-like sculpture.


Source: Salone del Mobile, 2022
Mind-bending modular seating
Khaled El Mays’ modular seating looks just as vibrant. The chairs are characterised by unusually curvy shapes, which is down to the multi-disciplinary designer’s use of flora as inspiration. What he does, however, is represent the plant world in a deformed way, making his armchairs and stools look as if they’ve come from a surreal painting.



Source: Nilufar Gallery, 2022
Whatever the soft-silhouette seats are inspired by, they promise to brighten up any box room and provide new ways of sitting. Since they’re missing a long edge, which usually goes against the wall, there’s no exact indication of where they should be placed. They can be arranged in the middle of the room without you bumping into them as you walk by, and their shapely curves ensure they merge well with their surroundings.
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Like a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.