One of the phenomena that characterizes the contemporary design world is openness to outdoor space. In recent times, we have increasingly witnessed the fusion of design codes proper to indoor spaces with those of outdoor spaces. A prime example of this hybrid language is the Flap collection, designed by Meneghello Paolelli studio for S-CAB. Flap is a sofa that shortens the distance between indoors and outdoors, a family of modular upholstered furniture in which seating elements are combined with tabletops. The system consists of four modules in total that allow for a variety of compositions.
“We have made available to S-CAB the expertise we have gained in outdoor design,” recount Sandro Meneghello and Marco Paolelli. It is from this well-established relationship that Flap was born, a modular collection of outdoor upholstered furniture, characterized by the lightness and freshness of its design. The element that distinguishes the system and from which the collection takes its name is the movable backrest, a Flap, which rests on the tubular structure and can rotate on the axis by about 15 degrees, allowing the support cushion to have different inclinations to achieve the best possible degree of comfort.” Thanks to the support of the flaps, the frame seems to wrap around the line of cushions that delineate the perimeter of the upholstery acting on a continuous antagonism between the softness and ‘fullness’ of the upholstery and the lightness and ’emptiness’ of the structure that surrounds it.
Another design in the S-CAB catalog that expresses a thoughtful balance between aesthetics and functionality is the Brezza armchair designed by Alessandro Stabile. The design was created with comfort in mind, a fundamental characteristic that outdoor furniture must possess, because outdoor environments are, among those we experience today, perhaps the ones where we particularly indulge in attitudes of relaxation and rest. In Stabile’s small armchair, the frame and cushioning dialogue in a novel way: the upholstered parts are, in fact, grafted into the frame and then easily attached, interlocking with each other, while the upholstery leaves the round-section metal legs visible.
Brezza is thus completely removable, benefiting durability. Durability is not the only element that contributes to placing the Brezza armchair in the Olympus of sustainable products: “I selected fabrics with recycled yarn, then devised an assembly of the various elements without the use of glues,” the designer explains. He continues, “The frames are stackable so as to minimize bulk in transport resulting in a reduction of CO2.”
Designed by Radice Orlandini, the Squid table goes very well with the Brezza seating family. Versatile and ductile, Squid is a table designed to give life to different combinations. The design fulcrum is the leg made of die-cast aluminum, whose original section recalls the shape of a cuttlefish bone – hence its name. The extreme versatility of this furniture comes from the structure, which is designed to be combined with tops of different finishes, thus making the table easily adaptable to environments of different taste and style. The shape of the top itself can be declined in a variety of shapes and sizes: in fact, the rectangular or hexagonal version can be made of HPL or marble to meet the needs of the end user.
From the collaboration between S-CAB and gumdesign, the design duo composed of Laura Fiaschi and Gabriele Pardi, the Dress_Code armchair has taken shape. The name is programmatic and anticipates the nature of the furniture, which is able to change clothes with ease. For the designers, unbelievable to say, the one designed for S-CAB is the first seat in their design journey. “We looked for designers uncontaminated by classical canons that must be respected when designing a seat,” confesses Luisa Battaglia, art director and co-owner of S-CAB, along with her sister Francesca Battaglia, “We chose gumdesign precisely because of their gaze free of superstructures.” The result is a comfortable product that complements the company’s catalog, in harmony with the rest of the collections on the market.
The seat consists of a painted metal frame, visually light and soft because of the circular section and the curves in which it is articulated, with the detail of the wooden armrest. Thanks to two simple hinges, the structure wears the textile upholstery, allowing agile and practical “changes of clothes,” from which, precisely, it derives its name. The family is completed with three coffee tables, which can be used as individual elements or in combination with each other, consisting of a painted metal base with a tubular section – like the armchair of the same name – combined with metal tops, HPL, as well as the innovative carbonated cork.
Luisa Battaglia is still the name behind the Lisa Swing suspended seat. The goal of the company’s art director and co-owner was to propose a swing to the public, and the goal was achieved thanks to the collaboration with Marcello Ziliani. The latest addition to the Lisa series, an extended family of seating that includes indoor and outdoor solutions such as Lisa Lounge Club and Lisa Lounge Filò, Lisa Swing is composed of a galvanized and painted tubular steel frame and woven nautical rope seat and back. It is available in both a custom docking version and a dedicated freestanding frame.
