Comfort with a conscience: Arper

Developments in chair design have always mirrored the needs, aspirations and concerns of the day. Today, our lives are increasingly less compartmentalised between working, relaxing and socialising, resulting in a growing demand for chairs with a multifunctional appeal. Technology and wifi allows us to perch anywhere with a laptop, provided the chair is functional, comfortable and ergonomic. Yet there are also moments when we want to unwind and disengage from the stresses of the day in a chair that is capacious, cocooning and indulgently comfortable.

A growing concern for sustainability is also impacting on the design industry. For architects and interior designers, a key criterion for specifying a new piece of furniture is how environmentally friendly it is. Clients, too, are basing their choices of products on how sustainable they are, questioning the provenance of materials used and their lifespan.

For Italian furniture company Arper, architecture and interior design necessarily spring from evolving social needs – and the same goes for the development of its own products. In fact, in 2000, Arper intuited a change of mood in interior design with its highly successful Catifa chair with an undulating backrest and seat, inspired by a carpet caught in the wind and taking flight. (Catifa is Catalan for carpet.)

Thereafter, Arper introduced more collections within the Catifa family, which organically and fortuitously dovetailed with a global movement towards more comfortable, adaptable, informal interiors. This desire has only deepened with a hankering for peaceful, inviting spaces in which to work, relax or come together and socialise. From there, sprang Arper’s Soft(er) approach, an ongoing commitment to creating more ergonomic, human-centred furniture for softer, flexible, communal spaces that support people’s needs, boost their wellbeing and bring them together.

Two new Arper designs illustrate this philosophy and the company’s ability to capture the zeitgeist. Catering to our ability to work almost anywhere is its new, understated Adell chair, designed by Lievore + Altherr Désile Park. Its versatility renders it suitable to all kinds of domestic and contract environments. ‘For Adell, we took a 360° design approach,’ explains Jeannette Altherr. ‘We wanted to create a completely customisable system. Adell’s friendly shape suggests an effortless use in all environments – especially relaxed seating areas. We imagine the fully upholstered version in hotels, restaurants, airport lounges or offices, while the extra soft cover would look great in relaxed co-working offices or homes. Conversely, the plastic shell on its own would be perfect in educational or healthcare settings with their higher demands on durability.’

Suitable for indoor or outdoor use, the chair unites an inviting, arched backrest and flat seat with a curved front. Its elemental, neutral quality invites comparisons with anything from a pebble or lily pad to a mound of moss. Adell was in fact inspired by a seashell and is available in various natural hues, including a variety of greens that almost camouflage it if seen against a natural backdrop or grass or foliage. The piece is not only inspired by nature but radically sustainable. It features a textured recycled plastic shell that can be fully upholstered or fitted with a seat cushion or a removable cushion.

The upholstery, designed by Raf Simons for Kvadrat, is available as a relatively loose, rumpled fabric that playfully accentuates the chair’s informality or as a more conventional taut fabric with a subtly two-tone weave or one with tweedy flecks. Adell has slender wooden or metal legs, rendering it suitable both for garden settings and elegant interiors.

By contrast, another new Arper design is Aston Club, designed by Jean-Marie Massaud, a lounge chair and footstool intended to maximise the sitter’s comfort. It is a development of his 2006 Aston chair but, with its higher backrest, is more cocooning and ergonomic.

Its footstool provides yet more comfort. For Arper, this classic, timeless piece complements all the other furniture in its product portfolio. Like Adell, it can be upholstered with Raf Simons’ designs for Kvadrat or with high-end fabrics by Rubelli and Rohi. Aston Club rests on a robust aluminium base with a polished or powder-coated finish. ‘To the current elegant Arper collection, we have added exclusive fabrics and finishes that transport Aston Club from the most classic to the most radical environments,’ says Massaud.

This monumental chair might look luxurious but it doesn’t disregard sustainability. Aston Club’s internal parts are made of recycled plastic. ‘With the Arper team, we paid special attention to sustainability,’ says Massaud. ‘Each piece has been designed so as to be easily dismantled and recycled after use.’

Indeed, both Aston Club and Adell, which are manufactured without using glue to avoid generating harmful emissions, can be entirely disassembled, allowing each component to be recycled or incorporated into other products to prolong their lifespan and reduce waste. Arper resolves today’s recurring quandary of how to produce covetable yet environmentally friendly products by developing its designs in a sustainable fashion from the get-go, as Adell and Aston Club testify.

Their soft silhouettes are entirely in keeping with the continuing demand for soft-contoured, comfortable interiors. For Arper, furniture is a direct expression of specific social needs interpreted by the designers with whom it closely collaborates.


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