Flou furniture stories: a look at the Italian manufacturer’s 2022 visions

There is a perennial demand for furniture that is stylish yet doesn’t clamour for attention. It seduces its users but allows them to become less conscious of their surroundings, producing a profound feeling of wellness and contentment. Chairs, sofas or beds may beckon us with their elegant yet understated design, then almost disappear into the background as the user, sinking or slipping into them, feels unutterably at peace.

Such furniture might be meticulously crafted using the finest materials but it is unimposing. Its colour palette is neutral, ranging from biscuit beige, nut brown and putty to pale teal and richer hues such as claret and tobacco. Furniture that offers restrained good looks and the opportunity for the user to drift into a state of blissful wellness is naturally a boon to architects and interior designers seeking to combine good looks and effortless comfort. Thanks to its passe-partout neutrality and understated elegance, it is suitable for a multitude of environments.

One brand with a strong grasp of why this furniture appeals is high-end Italian company Flou. Its latest furniture collection, destined for the living room, bedrooms and outdoors, was launched at Salone del Mobile this year. In its 2022 catalogue, Flou presented the collection by imagining it furnishing four houses with distinctive characters that embody different, albeit overlapping lifestyles. The products are photographed in settings that suggest moments of rest, relaxation and restorative holidays. Outdoor furniture shown on terraces, with views of lush landscapes, reinforces this idyllic atmosphere, suggesting unhurried afternoons or evenings spent communing with nature. Overall, the collection has a lightness that conveys optimism and insouciance.

The houses correspond to four lifestyles or moods. The first is summed up as “a rigorous and essential home in terms of volumes and materials. Flou furniture and accessories give it a soft and welcoming soul.” The second house, an aesthete’s haven, is described as “The artist’s retreat, renovated with the care and love of those who can see beauty in every detail, harmonising the past and the contemporary.”

The third bolthole is synonymous with “One of the masterpieces of Italian rationalism of the 1930s. The fresh décor, attentive to combinations and materials, makes it current without distorting its slightly retro charm.” The fourth house “offers relaxation that comes from the elements of the earth, with large windows that make it a natural continuation of the landscape. Natural colours and welcoming shapes to gain possession of your time and dedicate yourself to the people and things most dear to you.” The collection makes historical references but not literal ones; these generally evoke the past without specifying eras, save for the 1930s house.

Hero products include the Fiocco sofa, which is characterised by softness, informality and flexibility: its cushions act as backrests or armrests. Supported by an inconspicuous frame, the focus is on the cushions which are unconstrained, enticingly beckoning the sitter with its enveloping forms. Similarly comfortable is the highly versatile MyPlace sofa which offers a choice of three depths, while its armrests and backrests can be reconfigured to create linear or corner compositions and or can be placed in the middle of a room when not positioned against a wall.

Making a stronger design statement, while still offering superlative comfort and practical benefits, is the Layla double bed whose cocooning effect is redoubled by its sumptuously padded headboard. Its base, which can be opened electrically, provides storage. Slats under the bed can be adjusted to make them more rigid. Another design, Flou’s Gaudí bed, whose visible frame with curved corners in mocha brown or grey-stained wood, hints at the sinuous organic, rich brown furniture pioneered by the Catalan, Art Nouveau architect. The bed is now part of a family of similar designs, namely the Gaudí sofa and armchair. Both come with removable covers and are suitable for outdoor use.

Flou’s furniture gives prominence to our collective desire for comfort and carefree relaxation, without sacrificing our craving for the aesthetically pleasing. Placing as much emphasis on understated good looks, Flou’s products aren’t showy status symbols, but include historical references in a subliminal, quietly elegant fashion. 

In order to enable architects and interior designers to easily choose from the company's products, materials, woods, upholstery fabrics and finishes, Flou has a dedicated, up-to-date and private area on its website. The suite of available tools includes a Touch & Match service – a resource that delivers samples in a matter of days for use on project moodboards that are looking to include Flou's innate sense of calm sophistication.

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