Having rung the changes on organically shaped furniture for Nienkmper with Blob, Kloud and Wavelength seating, design superstar Karim Rashid now goes 1980s-retro with Isola 8 lounge seating. The butting together of colour-blocked hard edges and curves evoke Cassina’s 1982 Torso chair by Paolo Deganello, a founder of Archizoom, the group of radical Florentine designers. The Isola 8 as pictured, with its back covered in a giant-scale, fun MACtac pattern and the seat in optic nerve-jangling pink, is just the ticket to shake tasteful minimalist Modernism by the scruff of its neck.
“Isola 8” derives from the Italian word for “island” and the number of people that the lounge accommodates. As the numeral indicates, it is intended for areas such as lobbies, lounges, libraries and public venues rather than single seating.
Passing the green test, Isola 8 is made with FSC-certified laminated wood products and soy-based foam.
Designer: Karim Rashid