Lozenges, arches and curves have dominated in the design world
of late, and now a handful of creatives and makers are taking
things one step further and exploring a softer style, embracing
playful, marshmallow-like forms and podgy shapes. Russian
designer Fedor Katcuba’s ‘Buzz’ chair is typical of the aesthetic, a
piece of furniture distilled into the simplest of elements: one
continuous squishy line upholstered in rich velvet.
So what’s inspired this appreciation for
rotund, portly products? ‘My designs took
on this aesthetic due to my experiences
of pregnancy and motherhood, when
everything had to be well-rounded and fall-
offable,’ explains Faye Toogood, whose
‘Roly-Poly’ chair was one of the forerunners
of the trend. It was also practical concerns
that led Tom Dixon to create his ‘Fat’ dining
chairs, which are intended to closely hug
the body and provide comfort throughouteven the most languorous of suppers. ‘Fat is being reclaimed
as a beautiful thing for a chair to be,’ he says. ‘It’s really hard to
design a seat that is comfortable, minimal and new looking, but
we super-reduced its form. The idea was to inflate the piece’s two
main elements to make them as fat as possible, giving it character.’
But could there be other, unconscious motives behind the move
to fuller-figured furniture? Maybe it’s a reaction to the tough
political and socio-economic climate we’re
facing, which has left us craving softness
and reassurance. Or perhaps it’s a small act
of rebellion, challenging existing notions of
beauty and good taste – words like ‘elegant’
have historically been attributed only to
delicate forms when it comes to high-end
design. Whatever the reasons for the trend,
if the covetable pieces in our edit ( below)
are anything to go by, chubbiness is clearly
the shape of things to come.THE NEW LOOKCHUBBY DESIGN
Voluptuous proportions are in style and big is definitely beautifulClockwise from top left ‘Fat’ chair, from £725, Tom Dixon (tomdixon.net). ‘Tube’ chair, £8,003, Objects of Common Interest (objectsofcommoninterest.com).
‘Form Stool 2’ by Nort, £1,313, Monologue (monologuelondon.com). ‘Buzz’ chairs, £500 each, Fedor Katcuba (fedorkatcuba.com).
‘Smalto’ table by Barber & Osgerby for Knoll, £3,888 Aram Store (aram.co.uk). ‘Neotenic’ chair by Jumbo, from £9,042, Matter (mattermatters.com)
‘FAT IS BEING
RECLAIMED AS A
BEAUTIFUL THING FOR
A CHAIR TO BE. THE
IDEA WAS TO INFLATE
THE PIECE‘S TWO
MAIN ELEMENTS’28 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK AU G U S T 2019TRENDSWO R D S: K AT E WO RT H I N GTO N P I C T U R E: S A L LY W I L L I A M S