It’s only natural: Flou

Studies have shown that in the past couple of centuries, human beings have become an indoor species, with the average person now spending approximately 90 per cent of their time inside. Being indoors so much means it is vital to create interior environments that support our mental wellbeing as much as possible. One way to do this is to bring the outdoors inside, using shapes, colours and materials that evoke aspects of nature. This can help to relieve stress, lower blood pressure and lift our mood – all things that many of us could use now more than ever.

For its 2020 collection, Italian furniture brand Flou took inspiration directly from the natural world, creating products with a comfortingly familiar look and feel. The new Flou 2021 collection continues this exploration of nature’s nurturing properties. According to Flou President, Massimiliano Messina, the pieces are informed by the ‘need to create in our homes, situations of greater comfort and wellness; spaces where we can find harmony with everything that surrounds us. We realised that being inspired by the colours and shapes of nature is the simplest and most natural way to achieve these goals.’

Flou’s team of designers worked alongside an expert from the world of fashion to develop six distinct palettes based on different natural phenomena. These inspirations are translated into the colours and tones of the materials, such as the harmonious and earthy look of the Quartz range, or the shades of black, white and grey captured in the Arctic series. Oasis offers various green hues and Magma evokes the passion and the warmth of fire, while Amethyst includes soothing shades of lilac and bright splashes of purple. Finally, the Ocean range takes its cues from the sea and the sky.

The six colour palettes are applied to Flou’s furniture using innovative and artisanal production methods that recreate the sorts of subtle variations found in nature. Flou is something of a pioneer in the use of upholstery, having developed the first upholstered bed with a removable cover in 1978.

The new upholstery fabrics are produced predominantly from natural fibres such as cotton and linen, which are woven using traditional techniques to create unique and characterful surfaces.

The irregular texture and tonality of the Zelda fabric, for example, evokes the rough surface of bark, while the concentric lines woven into the Vermont jacquard textile reference the rings found in the cross-section of a tree trunk. Marvin’s deliberately rugged surface reflects the imperfections of the earth and Fred features a soft, billowing texture intended to replicate the look of fluffy clouds or moss. Of course, the yarns used to create the textiles are sourced from certified organic suppliers to keep everything as natural and sustainable as possible.

As Messina explains, the development of materials at Flou is always led by the items they will be used to produce. That means fabrics, metal and wood elements are treated in a way that is consistent with the furniture’s appearance and function. ‘Our starting point is to imagine an environment with all of its elements and forms,’ he says. ‘Our fabrics are designed to become one with the shape of the upholstery, beds or accessories they will cover, and to harmonise with all the other materials that we will use in the room.’

Flou’s furniture was developed by leading architects and designers of the past and present, including Carlo Colombo, Rodolfo Dordoni and Vico Magistretti. When these pieces are dressed in the new materials and fabrics, they seem to come alive, as if they have just sprung up from the earth. When used alongside complementary items, they form a cohesive setting that brings to mind scenes such as wintry landscapes, the calm of a forest or the might of a volcano. Having spent more time than we would have liked indoors recently, it is at least comforting to know that the products we surround ourselves with can help us feel closer to nature, when the real thing is just out of reach.

© Architonic