OMA's furniture for Knoll is previewed at Prada's A/W 2013 menswear show
It was only a matter of time before the forward-thinking furniture manufacturer Knoll joined forces with OMA, one of Europe's most forward-thinking architecture practices. Last night the two design stalwarts sneak-previewed the fruits of their first collaboration - a 12-piece furniture collection to be launched at the Salone del Mobile - as a backdrop to the Prada A/W menswear fashion show.
The bubblegum-pink textural swivel armchairs, stacked-wood coffee tables and long, lean sideboards provided just the right setting for Prada's pops of colour and butter-soft leather. The pieces, which will debut at the Salone as part of Knoll's 75th anniversary celebrations, 'extend the Knoll tradition of exploring dynamic space-planning ideas based on datums for the contemporary work,' said the brand.
OMA's relationship with Knoll may be new, but its links with Prada were forged many years back: the architecture practice has designed the fashion brand's retail spaces over the past decade, and OMA's think-tank AMO has magicked fearless sets for Prada's catwalk shows since 2004. For last night's presentation, AMO modelled a radical vision of the 'ideal house' at Prada's vast Fogazzaro show space, incorporating items from the new OMA-Knoll collaboration - the first time the team has showcased furniture design alongside its fashion collections.
Wallpaper* has covered these remarkable collaborations before; last year AMO sat viewers on a 'field' of 600 cornflower-blue foam blocks on a bright green artificial-grass ground. But this season the architects reversed out the traditional catwalk configuration entirely, seating guests on a pyramidal island at the centre of the space while, around them, men walked among a perimeter lined with futuristic furnishings.
To bring home the domestic theme, the team projected images of 'ideal home' life on the walls, each scene picture-window size to make the audience feel like peeping Toms on a well-lit street. The 'woman of the house' popped up in silhouette in one window, but it was the models - in thick-soled, hard-wearing loafers and cropped trousers - who were the clear stars of the show. Someone should have pulled up a chair.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Based in London, Ellen Himelfarb travels widely for her reports on architecture and design. Her words appear in The Times, The Telegraph, The World of Interiors, and The Globe and Mail in her native Canada. She has worked with Wallpaper* since 2006.
-
‘There are hidden things out there, we just need to look’: Studiomama's stone animals have quirky charm
Studiomama founder's Nina Tolstrup and Jack Mama sieve the sands of Kent hunting down playful animal shaped stones for their latest collection
By Ali Morris Published
-
Tokyo firm Built By Legends gives fresh life to a performance icon, Nissan’s R34 GT-R
This Japanese restomod brings upgrades and enhancements to the Nissan R34 GT-R, ensuring the cult of the Skyline stays forever renewed
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Squire & Partners' radical restructure: 'There are a lot of different ways up the firm to partnership'
Squire & Partners announces a radical restructure; we talk to the late founder Michael Squire's son, senior partner Henry Squire, about the practice's new senior leadership group, its next steps and how architecture can move on from 'single leader culture'
By Ellie Stathaki Published