May 30th, 2008

him-and-her-both-back.jpg

Milan 08: Casamania launched the Him and Her chairs designed by Fabio Novembre at the furniture fair in Milan last month.

her.jpg

The chairs are made from polyethylene and are available in black, red and white.

him.jpg

The following text is from Fabio Novembre:

From the Book of Genesis: The Lord God crafted man from the earth and blew into him the breath of life and man was alive. And then the Lord God took a rib that he had taken from the man and from it crafted a woman and lead the woman unto the man. Now both the man and his wife were naked, and they felt no shame.

him-and-her-4.jpg

Him & Her are born directly from the ideas behind the Panton Chair. An evolution of the hermaphroditic original, declined into the harmony of the two sexes. They assume sculpted forms like naked models of seduction but they feel no shame.

himandhreback3.jpg

Following two photos by Settimio Benedusi:

himher_2008_7.jpg

himher_2008_8.jpg



Posted by Rose Etherington

62 Responses to “Him and Her by Fabio Novembre”

  1. zuy Says:

    puisque le design joue avec le REdesign et l’Art, Fabio Novembre en tire une conclusion evidente…

  2. lgg Says:

    poor panton chair!

  3. B.S. Says:

    vomitious

  4. Eduardo Cachucho Says:

    This is the UGLIEST chair I have seen in a long long long time, it is in such bad taste
    I would rather sit in a muddy, e-coli infested puddle than on this ‘chair’.

  5. pat Says:

    The effect of an overly strict Roman-Catholic upbringing, maybe? Titillating design none the less.

  6. zuy Says:

    Fabio N. is becoming a rising star of in italian design … … Laviani thinks young italian design follows dutch design -Einhoven and lost their identity…
    i like this Panton’s photo
    http://www.exporevue.com/images/magazine/1405panton_chair.jpg

  7. zuy Says:

    clearly Italian design needs fresh blood…major italian design companies
    work with “old” italian designers and foreigners star designers to sale worldwide

  8. zuy Says:

    in 1971, american Ruth Francken used a near concept

  9. edward Says:

    I don’t see the validity of hermaphroditic in describing the original, but this iteration by Fabio Novembre is witty, spicy and would be appropriate in the right environment, say Hef’s mansion.

  10. pop Says:

    i think he is missing some holes… and maybe some iced water fall :o)

  11. mike Says:

    are they stackable? tee hee

  12. Eva Says:

    Oh my god, this is how I felt the first time I accidentally walked in on my parents having sex..

    awkward!

  13. sia Says:

    ha! of course italian design… its a nice idea but a bit too sexy.. it looses a bit through the whole pin-up feeling.

  14. jed Says:

    this is truly repulsive. utterly beyond the pale and tasteless.

  15. jed Says:

    in fact, it looks like those hideously tacky 80s semi abstract torso sculptures only much worse. the sort of thing Patrick Bateman would have in his flat in American Psycho.

  16. Will Says:

    Like it or not there is a market for this and these will sell.

  17. brown_ie Says:

    WTF!!!! that´s sooo tasteless, is for a sex museum or a sexshop!!!!…. can you imagine your grandma sitting in there…..really bad

  18. Fling Says:

    Anatomically inconclusive. I checked this out in a mirror at home - if I bend over like that, there is some dangle-age. And I felt no little shame.

  19. gualberto Says:

    .. poor werner panton !! … this is really awful !!

  20. labforfun Says:

    Not the best Novembre on the market, i really prefer the original of both inspirations -Panton chair and the nice model docet ;)-

  21. zuy Says:

    Fabio has a personnal communication stategy as many emerging or star designers:starck,ora-ito wanders, hayon…

    http://lnx.freshcut.it/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/fabionovembre_officinagrafica.jpg

  22. zuy Says:

    here is a good designer from denmark christian flindt with a chair bookshelve , stackable by the side http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u276/yatzer/rainbow.jpg

  23. John Smith Says:

    Zuy has way too much time on his hands…and loves the sound of his own comments.

  24. dudenw Says:

    awful and old

  25. razif Says:

    I am embarrassed by the word ‘design’ to this object. Such insignificant
    furniture should be recycled into a good dustbin.

  26. aless Says:

    pornoton chair!

  27. omar Says:

    this chair is poo.
    the best thing about this product is the naked girl in the shoot.

  28. Pelu Says:

    Love it !
    it’s not my personal taste (not even the original chair) but the way they changed it is really clever
    that’s why there’re so many comments :)

  29. Pelu Says:

    btw
    i would like to see my grandma seating in that chair…
    otherwise, we’ld be seating in the same chair that was first made
    if you don’t like it, don’t buy it, that’s easy

  30. zuy Says:

    Jo
    hn smith are you the photograph of demolition day?
    http://74.125.39.104/search?q=cache:i7XnU_kTWXEJ:bldgblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/demolition-day.html+%22John+Smith%22+dezeen&hl=fr&ct=clnk&cd=4

  31. zuy Says:

    a very interessing photography of the Novembre’s chair …
    http://www.designboom.com/snapshot/gallery.php?SNAPSHOT_ID=12&GALLERY_ID=623&PHOTO_IDX=14

  32. Eduardo Says:

    are we back to the tasteless 1970s?
    really ugly and inimaginative

  33. anita Says:

    very beutiful.nice

  34. zuy Says:

    yes we are back to XIX with Wanders and with some dutch Eindhoven designers…. and followers everywhere in the world ( with some high tech inside too), to 60 70 80 with others “retro designers”…. Why? Because design is expensive and not democratic ,buyers become olders, bourgeois , and new richs in emerging counties… and a lot of italian manufacturers now are directed by H(olding) than limit the risks…
    ( see the last Starck design and also lunar design potcast on this theme).

  35. haloloop Says:

    ehi! I want to see more about HIM! Were is the “him” model?? It’s not fair!

  36. tom Says:

    inimaginative???
    lots of imagination i would say…
    a naked chair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    cool. very cool indeed!!!

  37. Will Says:

    Bum design

  38. zuy Says:

    do not insult the future of italian design!

  39. Daddy Says:

    Does this chair come in a GHETTO BOOTY version?

  40. leandro locsin Says:

    fabio: spank panton !

    fabio: hmmmm what about a spankable panton chair?

    fabio: starcks goin, might as well have a spankin idea!

    fabio: how about i put asses on all iconic chairs? thats a “hole” lot of ass fun

  41. Dariusz Says:

    brilliant!! wow.. this chair got people talking!! Nudism and the body at its best! Love it! I want one!

  42. zuy Says:

    Je ne suis pas un snipper de blog, comme certains qui n’acceptent pas un avis différent,une vraie critique, le pensent …mais mon anglais est encore moins bon que celui de Starck…
    MILAN
    J’ai du annuler mon parcours de Milan cette année à cause d’un pb de santé
    qui m’a bloqué - semaines
    PARIS: DESIGNER’S DAY
    C’est pourquoi je souhaite faire un parcours design en français avec ceux qui voudront me suivre le samedi 14 juin 2008 à Paris…Je vais enrichir celui du designer’s day par des adresses et des contacts perso. Afin de ne pas faire le marathon (du design de Paris), en raison de la pénurie de taxis ici, il n’est pas possible le de faire comme en Amérique, à NYC, à SF ou à Montréal…
    Prenez donc un équipement de base extra light: de bonnes chaussures adaptées à la marche urbaine,un téléphone-appareil photo,un carnet, un crayon, une petite bouteille d’eau, et + …..
    Certains m’ont parlé de la “bulle Parisienne” le Design jet set? Je n’ai pas l’intention de faire un parcours non critique sur le design du boulevard Saint-Germain comme dit Starck alors qu’il y est très présent…
    Mais on ne peut pas nier qu’il existe, y travailler et …..faire aussi des projets pour les 90% (les moins riches du monde)
    J’ai aussi ajouté pas mal de “choses à voir” qui ne sont pas ds le designer’s days..

  43. zuy Says:

    Do you have objects, furniture or lighting during the Designer’s Day in Paris?

  44. fanboy Says:

    Very similar to the concept posted on this site, much better execution:

    http://www.studiojarch.com

    Sexy Back Chair

  45. zuy Says:

    Always body has inspired artist and…. designer…
    Better execution? I’m not sure it’s a seat….but may be art + idea of chair.

  46. Elito Says:

    Hideous? No, not hideous. The models chosen for the designs were well proportioned, and I think presented well.

    Philosophically questionable? Perhaps. The idea of sitting on another person may be distasteful, but it is a matter of opinion, not fact.

    Completely impractical? Yes, no doubt. Very few places one could put one of these. However, I suspect that were a chair like this placed with the backside to a corner, it would appear as a normal chair, with only those “in the know” appreciating any irony when the chair is used. And then, again with proper placement, the sitter would get the thrill (for good or ill) of discovery. Very thought provoking.

    And of course, ultimately, this is an art piece, not a straight interior design element. The “Piss Christ” of seating, if you will.

  47. zuy Says:

    i’m agree Fabio is an artist + interior designer + architecte
    see this piece of art furniture in the same stange style than Alexander Mac Queen’s luggage…

    http://lnx.freshcut.it/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/fabionovembre_officinagrafica.jpg

  48. zuy Says:

    i see this piece on news from driade
    http://www.driade.com/home.php?idT=1&idST=1&idC=3&idP=1940&pagProd=divina&pop=0&clickP=true

  49. dina Says:

    I don’t understand why everybody criticizes this chair, I love it, it’s a piece of art! Thi idea is tremendous and the designer so talented. I would definitely love to have this chair in my living room or in my office. Great job!

  50. Poppy Says:

    Want to order one of these for my study room (my study room is black, white and silver, study table is black made of tempered glass)! Do you think black is better or white? My local furniture shop can order these for me.

  51. zuy Says:

    i’m agree with you Dina…Imagine this chair among Rodin Or Claudel sculptures or among some Panton chairs…

  52. zuy Says:

    with flash software you can enter in the Fabio Novembre’s world even if you dunnot like this chair
    http://www.novembre.it/love.html

  53. zuy Says:

    Fabio love wife but his body too!!!
    http://lnx.freshcut.it/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/fabionovembre_officinagrafica.jpg

  54. headplow Says:

    Its hard to improve on the human form. Certainly there is a time or place for these, I agree they are impractical for public use. Personally I see them as art more than gimmick but each person has to question where their mind is when they view them. One thing no one can argue, they sure make your ass look great sitting in them.

  55. Burak Says:

    Fabulous, Sexy, Great design
    That’s what we need to see , free minds..
    Can not see the similarity between Him & Her and the Panton…
    Totally different imaginations..
    It is a must to have one for me,the best design I HAVE EVER SEEN SİNCE SO FAR

  56. Lary Seer Says:

    This is by far the most ugly chair i have ever seen
    i do believe it would be better as simply a sculpture
    the her chair really is quite beautiful.

  57. Sigrid Says:

    My husband and I immediately fell in love with these chairs as soon as we saw them, they are the most beautiful and imaginative chairs… We need to have them for our dining set; I can’t wait to have family dinners; you just have to have fun, that’s all, folks!

  58. d Says:

    Eduardo Says:

    June 1st, 2008 at 12:11 am
    are we back to the tasteless 1970s?
    really ugly and inimaginative

    sorry? human body is the most estetic thing in the world and to use it on an object is quite imaginative!!!

  59. Brian Says:

    dUDE

    I aGREE pANTON RIP OFF!!!…

    dONT EVEN BRING UP THE TERM RETROSPECTIVE, OR PASTICHE, OR RE-DESIGN, JUST RIP-OFF!

    B

  60. Rieke Feyen Says:

    love at first sight. would like to receive retailer adress in Turkey to buy one. Thanks. Rieke

  61. anon Says:

    This is a design, if you don’t like it, at least RESPECT it.

  62. R. J. Fusillo Says:

    Sigrid is the only who gets it. FUN!! We bought two white ones for the back porch, and probably will buy two more in black. We saw them at the architecure bienale in Venice, sat in them, and wanted them. I admit we have thing for chairs — we have more than two dozen of the twentieth century classics, and lust for more. But what the hell– cheap and FUN. Loosen up, folks ( except Sigrid).

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