Design, as we know, has a soft spot for the human being. It observes, studies, dissects, and then reinterprets it into surprising forms. Lips that become sofas, faces that transform into seats, hearts that blossom into vases: the body transcends anatomical boundaries to inhabit domestic spaces. Five objects tell this ironic interplay between art, function, and formal seduction.
Inspired by Salvador Dalí’s 1935 portrait of Mae West, Studio 65 created the BOCCA® (on cover) sofa for Gufram. Expertly crafted using traditional techniques, this lip-shaped sofa is meticulously worked by skilled artisans to achieve a perfect balance of comfort and style. Originally offered in bright red fabric, it is now also available in the BOCCA® Unlimited version, presented in a range of 24 colors. The image “A Domestic Treat” is a visual narrative that brings together the brand’s various collections within a Milanese apartment.
Nemo, designed by Fabio Novembre for Driade, is a manifestation of design that exalts the human figure. It presents itself as a face with classical features that conceals a seat within. A figure capable of becoming abstract and universal, evoking a mythologized beauty, much like ancient Greek art. The Nemo seat thus becomes both a mask and a negation of individual identity, giving form to an object without gender or boundaries.
Love in Bloom, designed by Marcantonio for Seletti, is a porcelain vase in the shape of a heart that seems to have emerged from a human anatomy treatise. Flowers are inserted through the veins, as if the organ were the bulb from which the buds of feelings blossom.
Serena Confalonieri created Afra, a vase-centerpiece that evokes the face of a swimmer. Afra is a figurative object: the face, etched into the ceramic, references both Art Deco illustrations and African masks. The stopper serves a dual function, acting as both a tap and a basin. The object was born within the “Best of Italy” project, which promotes Italian artisanal tradition: an initiative aimed at enhancing the culture of the country’s various production districts.
The Blue Luzy by Ingo Maurer is an innovative suspension lamp that combines an everyday object with lighting design. It features a blue rubber glove with an opaque LED bulb integrated into the tip of one finger. Each glove is hand-painted, and the light is dimmable, offering warm illumination thanks to an E27 LED bulb.
