BONSAI Upholstered seating collection by Claesson Koivisto Rune for Arflex
Designers’ statement: The Bonsai seating collection is inspired by our reflections upon Japanese aesthetics and culture.
The seats are characterised by soft, curved forms. These inviting, friendly shapes are reminiscent of the bushes and shrubs, found in gardens all over Japan, that have been cultivated and trimmed in order to create beautiful soft, ‘organic’, cloud-like shapes.
In stark contrast, rectilinear wooden platforms supported on low, wooden legs elevate these rounded, upholstered forms above the floor plane. Almost like tokonoma, the practice of placing selected, cherished items such as a bonsai tree, upon a horizontal surface in order to create an interior feature. These wooden platforms create a kind of smaller, more dedicated frame within a larger context.
Within this ‘frame’ is the presence of other elements such as an optional integrated lamp with a flowing fabric shade and a recessed stone plate, for arranging potted plants on or simply a stack of books.
