philippe starck’s lou collection for driade expresses playful anthropomorphic qualities

philippe starck’s lou collection for driade expresses playful anthropomorphic qualities

the ‘lou’ family is a seating collection defined by its sculptural shapes and protruding arms. ‘lou eat’ and ‘lou think’ which are upholstered in leather or pony, are an extension of philippe starck’s earlier ‘lou read’ chair for driade. both designs draw upon the original framework, which contains an anthropomorphic outline.

‘lou eat’ and ‘lou think’ are an extension of philippe starck’s earlier ‘lou read’ chair for driade

‘lou eat’ is a small armchair that was conceived as a dinning room seat. it expresses a similar form to ‘lou read’ but uses softer lines, making it the most versatile option within the series. the protruding arms however look to hungrily invite the spectator to sit within its enveloping structure. starck looks to subvert the design’s original intention by declaring that ‘lou eat is not a chair, it is an animal-like sculpture that could eat you.’

‘lou think’ takes on a similar experimental approach, using an elongated backrest and rounded hooded roof, that acts as light shade. the bizarre nature of the design aims to challenge the boundaries of ones preconceived notion of what a chair can be.

‘lou eat’ contains an anthropomorphic outline

philippe starck has also designed two other furniture pieces including the cinemascope which he claims is an ‘armchair that can save the world… if all presidents and kings in the world had an exceptionally comfortable armchair like cinemascope, can you imagine how their ideas, conversations and decisions would change?’. the chair contains a wide intimate seat that stands on a stainless steel swivel base, which has a swinging mechanism. the ‘wow’ sofa builds upon this idea of comfort, by introducing a a luxurious modular system that includes chaise longues and corner elements conceived to define multiple layouts.

the protruding arms look to hungrily invite the spectator

starck states that ‘one night I had a dream or, rather, a memory surfaced in my mind. I recall the delightful times when sofas were comfortable, and we shouted ‘wow,’ while leaping on them. I felt nostalgic for the past. and I thought that it was not bad after all, so I created ‘wow’, the sofa that embraces you.‘

the ‘lou’ collection as well as the ‘cinemascope’ armchair and ‘wow’ sofa were all debuted at salone del mobile 2016.

the ‘lou’ collection

image © designboom