Tricot – Diapositive n°1
2008
TRICOT
Poltrona Frau
The “Tricot” armchair is a literal transcription of a memory from my travels. It is the fruit of one of those rare and precious moments when suddenly one becomes aware of the beauty or the incongruity of a situation, and is moved by this awareness. Upon entering the lobby of a hotel in Seoul, I saw three leather bags stacked slyly beside the reception desk, partially camouflaged by a trellis-shaped net. Together these elements formed a curious mass, resembling the fabulous catch of a fishing expedition. Later, when Poltrona Frau invited me to design an armchair, this memory from Seoul was my immediate inspiration. Three potato-shaped elements form the seat, the armrest and the back, with a leather net thrown over it to unify and soften the mass, resulting in a fundamental reduction of all the parts, total availability of the material and an absolute generosity of the surfaces. Yes, sly and just a wee bit naughty, Tricot brings the world of netting and leather into play, the trellis of leather strips, held together with buttons in weathered brass, dresses and reveals the inviting roundness of each cushion. Unlike traditional armchairs, which maintain the body in a rigid state, with the object conditioning posture, Tricot invites users to relax, to let themselves go, to fall into it… Tricot is not designed as an armchair to sit in, but rather it is a space, a place in itself, like a little island where one settles in, that one inhabits. The frame and the structure are in wood, the stuffing and the seat in polyurethane foam while the back and armrests are stuffed with feathers. The leather upholstery, available in black or camel, develops a patina over time. Tricot also exists with felt cushions in a natural hue.
