Life on the outside

A love of the outdoors prompted furniture brand OASIQ to develop a collection of products aimed at helping everyone appreciate the joys of al fresco living. Combining retro influences with superior craftsmanship, the versatile furniture solutions are designed to make relaxing outdoors as comfortable and stylish as possible.

The story of OASIQ began in the late 1990s in Asia, where its parent firm had established itself as a world leader in the manufacture of high-end equestrian products. The company’s expertise in crafting items from quality materials including stainless steel and technical textiles provided a perfect foundation for its diversification into the outdoor furniture market. From a factory in Thailand, it began producing items for other brands before developing its own range aimed at the American market and opening a showroom in NY in 2008. In 2012, OASIQ opened an office in Belgium and a year later launched a new European collection at the Maison&Objet trade fair in Paris.

With roots in premium manufacturing, it’s no coincidence that OASIQ focuses on creating furniture that exploits its knowledge and experience of working with robust, timeless materials. To ensure the aesthetic of its pieces matches the high standards of their manufacture, the company collaborates with a roster of international designers including Mark Gabbertas, Hans Daalder and Gijs Papavoine. Each designer works closely with OASIQ’s creative team to develop products with a consistent visual language, which enables the pieces to be used together in a coherent setting.

According to the company’s marketing and sales director, Harrie van Valderen, who oversees the development of new designs, the aim from the beginning was to create pieces that combine retro references with modern materials and ideas. Recognising that the majority of outdoor furniture on the market has a distinctly minimal aesthetic, OASIQ instead chose to focus on familiar forms that tap into the trend for vintage style. “When we started with the European collection, I said that our niche in the market would be to use classic designs as a source of inspiration for our own collections and then add
a contemporary twist,” Van Valderen explains. “While this is popular in other areas of the lifestyle market,
it didn’t seem to exist yet in outdoor furniture.”

In particular, OASIQ’s products are influenced by the elegant style and refined materials of mid-century furniture. Designs from this period combine clean lines with a focus on ergonomic comfort and innovative material applications; all of which are recognisable characteristics of OASIQ’s European collection. The Coco chair, for example, has an aluminium seat and backrest that form a shell reminiscent of furniture designed in the 1950s by American design duo Charles and Ray Eames. Its combination of a powder-coated metal frame with solid teak legs creates a pleasing contrast that also recalls the Eameses’ products.

Materials used throughout the OASIQ range help to accentuate the retro appeal of the designs. Steel, aluminium, teak and synthetic rope are combined in inventive ways that utilise the skills of the firm’s production team. The extraordinary level of craftsmanship required to produce the Diuna chair, for instance, evokes the sculpted organic forms of classic Scandinavian wood furniture. Its tactile teak surfaces are honed to form a solid yet lightweight form that looks as good indoors as outdoors.

The Sandur chair offers another example of how the brand is able to update recognisable typologies for use in contemporary settings. Its stainless steel structure supports a seat and back made from a woven synthetic rope that has the tactile quality of a natural material but is completely weatherproof. The rope surfaces are hand-woven in an open pattern that provides flexible and comfortable support.

The ethos of timeless style is particularly evident in the design of the Machar table, which features a solidly proportioned base combined with a slender surface available in a range of quality materials. The simplicity of the form and honest material treatment means the table is equally suited to a dining room or outdoor terrace setting. It can also be used alongside any of OASIQ’s seating products, encapsulating the concept of versatility that underpins the brand’s development process.

Each of the items in OASIQ’s range is designed in response to market demands, with the company’s network of retailers providing information on popular trends that inform the direction of new projects.
The resulting products demonstrate a consistent design approach combined with a dedication to quality manufacturing that positions the firm at the premium end of the market. Its furniture is displayed in high-end retail spaces across Europe, with a recently launched showroom in the German town of Engelskirchen providing an opportunity to view the full range in a dedicated and beautifully styled environment.

After just three years of trading, OASIQ has already established an impressive collection and its products have been specified in luxury hotels and homes around the world. According to Van Valderen, the aim now is to grow awareness of the brand so anyone seeking unique furniture for interesting and innovative outdoor projects knows where to look. “At OASIQ we are very much outdoor people, we like the outdoor life,” he points out. “We want to help people enjoy this lifestyle by creating products that offer something special.”