New designs by Patricia Urquiola at Salone del Mobile

April 13, 2016

At Salone del Mobile 2016 Cassina continues to look ahead in the lead up to its 90th anniversary in 2017, beginning a new and important chapter for the next 90 years of design culture and heritage. Cassina presents its 2016 Collection in a 900m2 stand projected by Art Director Patricia Urquiola and inspired by the Rietveld Pavilion, a temporary building designed in 1955 in Holland to display sculptures and later reconstructed in the Kröller-Müller Museum’s sculpture garden.

The 2016 Collection brings together new designs by Patricia Urquiola. The Beam Sofa System develops horizontally along a rigorous beam base which contrasts with soft and inviting cushions influenced by the works of Magistretti, and the Gender armchair, which, as its name suggests, does not have a gender, it’s not traditional or modern, but an individual piece with stand-alone power.

The Beam Sofa System is made up of soft cushions supported by a beam, a sharp line, that ‘raises’ the flexible and lightweight back and armrest cushions which meet in an skilful embrace. The Beam Sofa System has those hidden qualities that often characterise the company’s models and that pay tribute to Vico Magistretti’s work. The project comprises a beam base and a series of enveloping cushions and seating. The result is a non-conformist sectional sofa.
An inviting sofa characterised by a play on movement and overlap. The formal rigour of the Beam Sofa System’s base contrasts with its inviting cushions. The sofa’s armrest can be regulated in two positions at 30° and the chain mechanism of the folded side/back cushion means that it can be positioned as desired to make the piece even more comfortable.

The side view of the sofa particularly gives value to the detail of the armrest which contains the backrest in an embrace. The aesthetic value of the sofa’s sinuous and soft form is maintained thanks to the detail of a contemporary stitching ‘pinched’ around its perimeter.
A new fabric collection, Gea, designed by Giulio Ridolfo, has been introduced especially for this sofa: the striped material, for example, emphasises the length of the sofa which is drawn into the armrest.