Italian furniture brand B&B Italia is launching a new minute incarnation of Gaetano Pesce’s 'UP5' chair. Named the 'UPJ' – where the 'J' aptly stands for 'junior' – the iconic design has been scaled down to child-sized dimensions.
Originally launched in 1969 as part of a seven-piece collection of polyurethane foam seats, the chair is an emotional piece of design that combines craftsmanship with social commentary and humour. The sensual shape of the piece suggests a woman’s body, the womb being the seat while the ottoman symbolises a ball and chain - a design that was intended to communicate Pesce's denouncement of sexism.
No stranger to changing scales, a giant seven metre-high version of the 'UP5' was recently installed at the MAXXI in Rome as part of the museum's major Pesce retrospective exhibition. Now, reduced to tiny proportions, the chair's playful character is further enhanced, making it a perfect introduction to classic design for a new generation.
Reduced to tiny proportions, the chair's character is further enhanced, making it a perfect introduction to classic design for a new generation
-
Pierre Yovanovitch’s set and costumes bring a contemporary edge to Korea National Opera in SeoulFrench interior architect Pierre Yovanovitch makes his second operatic design foray, for The Marriage of Figaro in Seoul
-
The best hotels in Hong KongFrom sky-high glamour to intimate design sanctuaries, here's our pick of Hong Kong's finest stays
-
Stay in a Parisian apartment which artfully balances minimalism and warmthTour this pied-a-terre in the 7th arrondissement, designed by Valeriane Lazard
-
Off the grid: Charles and Ray Eames’ Wire Chair, revisited -
Magnificent 7: global starchitects reimagine Fritz Hansen’s iconic chair -
Arper launches Lina Bo Bardi’s 1951 Bowl Chair
