Nurture nature: MUSOLA

Close to Alicante in the south of Spain, lies a magical place. Salinas de Santa Pola is a nature reserve where the sea and the mountains merge in a very Mediterranean way. This is the environment from which the designer Santiago Sevillano drew inspiration for the Salinas collection, a range of outdoor furniture (two sofas and an armchair) created for Musola, a manufacturer located only a few miles away from this location.

‘The shapes of the Salinas system are an obvious reference to the landscape of this natural, protected space. I wanted to mimic the way the mountains reflect into the sea’, says the designer. With their round and organic shapes, the chairs echo the voice of the sea and its soothing movements. Backrests rise like the salt hills scattered in the reserve.

But the analogy goes further than simple topography. The zigzag of the armrests captures the silhouette of the numerous pink flamingos who inhabit this area. And the removable cover fabrics – from the well-known Sunbrella collection – express the same hues as those in the colourful reserve.

A modular approach is fundamental to the Salinas design: cushions and backrests can be removed and arranged in different configurations to match the needs of users and how they wish to relax. Sevillano, a designer clearly fond of modularity and the outdoors, ‘wanted to design a tool for living; a spot where nothing can disturb you. Something related to the essential Mediterranean lifestyle.’ Mission accomplished!

© Architonic