In 2010, Emilio Nanni teamed up with renowned Italian design house Billiani to design the Doll chair range. This marked Nanni’s first project for Billiani and started a prolific collaboration between the two, and ten years on Doll’s popularity around the world speaks to the success of this collaboration.
In the Doll chair, the essentiality of its design is expressed through a sense of grace and softness.
“Evaluating a first draft with a designer like Nanni and developing it by making a technical contribution in the choice of the structural componentry, which fulfils its vital function, was a winning process, which led to Doll becoming Billiani’s best-seller,” says Luigi Billiani.
Doll made its first entry into the world of design at the 49th Milan International Furniture Fair, proposed in the original version, in beechwood, and with a stackable metal frame. The chair was an immediate success, impressing attendees with the generous design of its seat and backrest, and the balanced splay of the rear legs, together channelling the Scandinavian design aesthetic Nanni sought to create.
To celebrate this tenth anniversary, Billiani has introduced a new Doll chair in ashwood, set off by a feature crosspiece. To give an even more refined result, the thickness of the back gradually tapers towards the top.
For this new ashwood chair and the existing Doll collection, the apparent simplicity of the product conceals delightful execution techniques, such as the elegant dovetail joints that join the back to the rear legs, or the perfectly dried steam-bent tresses, lightening the chair without compromising form or comfort.
In the ten years since launch, the Doll collection has evolved into a complete furniture range, including arm and lounge chairs, barstools, dining and coffee tables. The aesthetics of Doll are chameleon-like, suiting different products, and any contemporary aesthetic – Happy tenth birthday to a modern day design icon in the making!
