Scubsim

Will furniture ever be the same? Coates’ Scubist collection for Fratelli Boffi combines mischievous imagination with their traditional skills. With iconoclastic zeal, he turns legs upside down and backs, back to front to play a flirtatious game, fragmenting structure and defying gravity. From the soft and sensuous upholstery of the Plump sofa to the four random legs that combine in the Book-leg shelving system, he invites you to look at well-known shapes from new angles. Taking elements from classic timber frames, he reconfigures them, lifting and turning them, into an exciting group that fits modern needs for style and comfort. There are sixteen pieces in the range; together they suggest a “Scubist” approach to any environment, private or public.

A SCUBIST MANIFESTO • FURNITURE CAN FLIRT: NOW YOU SEE IT NOW YOU DON’T. WILL IT EVER BE THE SAME? • SCUBISM AVOIDS COORDINATION FOR IT’S OWN SAKE • IT COMBINES MISCHIEVOUS IMAGINATION AND TRADITIONAL SKILLS • WITH ICONOCLASTIC ZEAL, SCUBISM PRESENTS WELL-KNOWN SHAPES FROM NEW ANGLE • IT HIJACKS ELEMENTS FROM CLASSIC TIMBER FRAMES, AND RECONFIGURES THEM, LIFTS AND TURNS THEM • LEGS CAN TURN UPSIDE DOWN AND BACKS CAN BE BACK TO FRONT • ANYHOW, WHY NOT FRAGMENT STRUCTURE AND DEFY GRAVITY? • IN FACT SCUBISM IS A RELIGION • IT’LL MAKE YOU SAVOUR EVERYTHING THAT DESIGN DOESN’T