Roche Bobois Turns 50
Following the over-the-top signature sailor-striped collection by Jean Paul Gaultier that kicked off Roche Bobois’ 50th anniversary at the end of last year, the iconic Parisian design house is balancing the scales with a second...
Following the over-the-top signature sailor-striped collection by Jean Paul Gaultier that kicked off Roche Bobois’ 50th anniversary at the end of last year, the iconic Parisian design house is balancing the scales with a second anniversary suite from the master of “Natural Minimalism”, Florence-based Mauro Lipparini.
Rather than a hyper-modern minimalism in the vein of John Pawson, (“It’s like you feel superfluous in his environment because you sort of disturb,” says Liparini) he aims for a sleek, yet very livable space with his “Echoes” collection. “I like to design the product that is very close to the people. Not fighting with people. Not more important than people.”
The resulting pieces are an exercise in modesty: clean lines in glass and metal warmed up just enough with supple handbag-quality leather in ten different hues and rich walnut and oak. The central theme is the platform—a design element that is echoed throughout to varying degrees—but it never veers into match-y territory. “I like to combine lines that are similar, but not exactly the same,” he says. “It’s one big family of furniture, but it’s more like cousins than twins.” Modern, but organic, sleek but comfortable, Lipparini’s statement is more of a restrained whisper, but it is made nonetheless.
The pieces will be available starting in early June at Roche Bobois.
