As of 30 June, Zara Home starts a new chapter: Zara Home +, a collection developed together with Vincent Van Duysen, the Belgian designer with a minimalist and sophisticated style. It is a new chapter for the Spanish brand, known for its accessible and well-crafted furniture and accessories. This new collaborative creative journey has originated from Van Duysen’s desire to dive into his archives, revisiting some of his most iconic pieces and styles.
Van Duysen felt the momentum was right to embark on such a partnership; turning 60, he was ready to look back into his physical and mental archives to analyze his DNA and apply it to Zara Home. The collection, to drop twice a year and part of an ongoing collaboration, will launch on June 30 with a first batch of living room pieces.
Select woods, exquisite textures, and tactile materials and finishes, rendered in timeless forms. Rational shapes and aesthetics give way to simplicity and comfort. Each piece, in a serial and utilitarian manner is given a number as part of a coded system that easily lends itself to future collections. Solid oak, ash, Campaspero limestone, and leather have been sourced as raw materials. Carpets have been knotted in India.
“From the beginning of my career I paid a lot of attention to the use of materials: natural woods, beautiful fabrics, 100% cottons, linens. We said from the beginning that we didn’t want to give up for the quality – for me in general quality is super important,” says Van Duysen.
The collaboration was born of the mutual respect between the Spanish-founded global brand and the Flemish creative. All products have been designed to be versatile (they don’t define the style of a given room, but rather complement it) and sympathetic to evolving décor types for years to come: it’s a clear antidote to the one-time-use culture embraced for so long.
The collection includes armchairs, love seats, 2 and 3 seaters, lower tables, side tables, consoles/desks, dining chairs, stools, carpets, table lamps and various accessories. They all reflect the universe of Van Duysen’s previous homes: his first apartment in Antwerp, his first finca in Palma de Mallorca, his house in Melides (Portugal), recently completed. “It feels like a home coming – the dimensions, sensorial aspects, the look and feel all reflect my work,” explains the Belgian architect. “My DNA merges with Zara Home.”
“Home is where our hearts belong, where we need to feel comfortable, to feel protected”, Van Duysen continues. “My work is very human-centric, I think it’s about a very sincere use of materials and forms and function. I was always attracted about the pureness of how people are living and about the pureness of space, the interaction with light, very serene, calm interiors”.
A renowned interior photographer, François Halard, was called in to narrate the collection. He created three stories with great evocative power: A Baroque dream, shot in a villa in Lombardy, A modernist escape (set in Van Duysen’s house in Portugal) and An urban gem, in a late 19th century flat with rigorous, spacious and light-filled rooms.
Zara Home + is available from 30 June in selected shops and online.
For all photographs © François Halard courtesy Zara Home +
