Inspiration through material
After opening their studio last year, the Nantes-based duo of Nouveau Standard are back with a brand-new version of the seat from their inaugural collection “1976, Rustic Memories”. For the occasion it comes in a vivid red.
More glamorous, more chic. That’s what Jonathan Fleurance and Simon Brandeau had in mind when reimagining the chair from their first collection. “After releasing the ’1976, Rustic Memories’ collection, we wanted to make it a bit more glamorous, by refreshing its design, while continuing to evoke the spirit of the 70s and its clunky forms,” explains Jonathan. Simon continues: “we also wanted to create something that brings a bit more joy, that’s a bit more colourful.” And what better than the colour red to add chic and glamour to this imposing ash wood throne with big legs and a seat back topped with two small spheres. In addition to being painted satin red, the famous chair, made by the Breton furniture maker Kermadeleine, now comes with a mirror on its seat, like an elegant compact or a pocket mirror.
“Through the furniture we design, we are trying to raise questions, but also to provide a little touch of surprise. The mirror option is of interest to us, since like the paint, it evokes reflection and brightness.” Whereas the first, wood-coloured version of the chair was meant to suggest a certain rusticity, this chair is a not-so-distant cousin, but in a more urban version. “As if the chair was leaving the countryside for the city,” the two designers joke. “The mirror also has another function: to give a different look at the seat, since points of view are created with this mirror, in particular on the undersides of the seat back, for example. (…) These two elements go well together and make the whole chair better, more chic and also a little funnier.” And indeed, it’s not every day you sit your cheeks down on a mirror. This mirror is inserted in a wooden pad, which can be added or taken away. “The pieces in our collection are mostly customisable or modular. Our chair can take a foam pad with fabric we’ve pre-selected, but also as a function of our customer’s choices.” Not content with giving a second life to this chair, the two founders of Nouveau Standard also want to decorate the other pieces in their collection with this vibrant red, “in particular the low chair and then the table and the bench,” they add. The interior designer and the accredited architect don’t hide their desire to open up their palette with new colours, such as aubergine. Watch this space… •
