Mandi Keighran talks to Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien about their new work for Moroso and their impressions of Milan 2012.
May 3rd, 2012
Jonathan: The starting point for the sofa collection, ’Chandigarh’ was the city of Chandigarh in India, for which le Corbusier designed the master plan and architecture. It was thinking about the kind of space we would like to design a piece of furniture for. What is interesting about Chandigarh is the Modernist ideals set within the context of India.
Nipa: It was really about this idea that India is always associated with tradition and craft and colour. We also wanted to express this idea that Modernity is so rooted in the country as well. We wanted to create a piece that is an archetype for a Modern icon, the Secretariat Building in Chandigarh by le Corbusier.
Also, doing something that is bringing the human dimension of Modernism to the front. There is also the detail of craftsmanship and pattern and cutting. The pattern is the abstraction of the Secretariat Building. It explores how Modernity sits very well with tradition, celebration, craft and embellishment. We like the idea that the world is not a pure place and, equally, our work is not pure.
Jonathan: We made the paper model for ’Chandigarh’ in about 5 minutes. We presented it to Patrizia Moroso at our studio and immediately she was able to see the potential of this unresolved paper and wire model. From thereon we spent a lot of time developing the language and forms. We have a special relationship with Moroso, in that they always get the idea from the first sketch.
Nipa: The exciting thing for Jonathan and I is trying to capture an idea in the simplest way possible. It might be a little model or a paper sketch – literally trying to capture it unadulterated.
Jonathan: The development is a process of continually coming back to the essence of the idea. It’s about not losing anything in the arduous process of bringing something into reality. Especially something like a plastic chair. The ’Impossible Wood’ chair was a prototype last year and has now been put into production.
Nipa: Design is a very hands-on profession. It’s about making things, working through details and ideas. After all that hard work, Milan is the culmination, the show, which I love. It’s the glamour part of design. Design is not actually glamorous at all. It’s satisfying to share it at this international level, and the Italians do it so well.
Jonathan: I think what is particular about Milan, and in particular about Moroso, is their willingness to experiment, and show ideas that are maybe not fully resolved, that need development to come to fruition.
Nipa: I think Milan is a great place to be inspired. It’s the only event where the absolute experimental is going with the absolute commercial. I like that mix. It’s about creativity. You go into the city and you see completely abstract ideas and it sits comfortably with coming to the Fiera and seeing pieces in production.
Moroso is available in Australia from Hub Furniture.
Doshi Levien
doshilevien.com
Moroso
moroso.it
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
No one lasts 110 years in the furniture industry without continually refining and creating premium furniture products. In 2021, Workspace celebrate 110 years of being in practice, and are showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Jeffrey Burnett hosted a breakfast talk on the B&B Italia Project Collection at Space.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Dallas Rogers, Head of Urban Discipline at the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney, comments on the history of map-making in our cities.
Eccentricity and refinement blend at Giant Steps Wines’ new Tasting Room – a picture-perfect place for guests to wine down.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.