Sitting on cloud nine: Freifrau

Perhaps it was a dreamy glance up at the sky, at passing clouds, that inspired Hanne Willmann to create this new piece of furniture for Freifrau. Or perhaps the stuffed toys in the room of her young child. It is likely that there is something of both in her new upholstered chair Nana, which was recently debuted by the Berlin-based product designer and furniture manufacturer. She herself says, ‘the Nana should radiate a feeling of comfort and security. When you sit in it, it should feel like home.’

This not only sounds appealing, it is also immediately evident in the chair’s appearance. ‘The Nana offers comfort. You can see that from 100 yards away,’ the designer states. And for her, that is precisely the embodiment of good design: to be clear ‘without being too loud’. For her personally, it is important that design is honest and features ‘sustainable, authentic materials; clear forms, nothing decorative unless it adds something. I love design when it has surprising details that are not that striking at first glance.’

At the same time, what counts in a design is not merely to immortalise oneself in it, but to reflect the identity of the brand. Freifrau talks about a rather feminine style, which Willmann expertly embraces in her first product for the German company based in Lemgo. ‘Showcasing the femininity of the Freifrau brand in my design was a wonderful challenge for me,’ Willmann recounts. ‘My design is often very rectilinear and I wanted to be as soft as possible for Freifrau without moving into decorative territory. With Nana, we have managed to create a very soft design that nonetheless features the elements that I represent.

From the manufacturer’s perspective, Nana can be understood as an ‘homage to the art of furniture upholstery’. To attain this quality, the designer and her team experimented with soft, voluminous forms, which they first tried to model using a number of small balloons ‘squashed’ into various shapes. ‘This led to the first approximation of the design: the back cushion,’ explains Willmann. ‘The others then gradually fell into place and the final element was the frame in which the seat shell simply nestles.’

And that is exactly what it does – it nestles, and signals that the user should likewise nestle in its soft comfort. Nevertheless, although the end product appears so floatingly light and calm, the chair required an intensive development period and numerous prototypes. Compared to other design products such as lamps or home accessories, it was necessary to work together much more frequently on the prototyping. ‘The padding and cover simply behave differently to how you plan things. For the Nana, we must have got together five times and were constantly making our own corrections to the product. And then there is the additional ‘comfort’ aspect. It is no accident that the Nana is so comfortable – everything was tested and modified several times until we were all 100 per cent satisfied.’

As a result, Nana emerged as a masterpiece of balance: voluminous and refined at the same time, simple and perfect, unique and yet reassuringly familiar. The seat is available with or without armrests. The frame is made of powder-coated tubular steel. For the cover fabric, the designer and manufacturer chose the ultra-soft wool bouclé fabric Nimbus from the textile company Dedar, which is located near the Italian city of Como.

And how much brand or personality is there in such a piece of furniture? ‘The idea for a product naturally comes from me, but it has to be right for the manufacturer,’ remarks Willmann. ‘It has to tell their story, convey their values and incorporate their manufacturing techniques. All of my works are thus a symbiosis of my vision and the brand as I see it and as the company sees it.’

Both probably had the same high expectations with regard to the following point: namely, softness and comfort. Willmann seems to have no doubt that she has met these high standards: ‘The Nana is probably the most comfortable chair I have ever sat on. It is as soft as floating on a cloud.’

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