Sebastian Herkner's Pipe furniture collection for Moroso is "not just about function"

Benedict Hobson | 26 October 2015 6 comments

Movie: German designer Sebastian Herkner explains why he created a seating range made from thick metal tubes in our latest movie for Italian furniture brand Moroso (+ movie).

Pipe by Sebastian Herkner for Moroso — The Pipe sofa is designed by Sebastian Herkner as part of the Pipe collection for Moroso

Herkner's Pipe sofas and chairs, unveiled this year at the Salone del Mobile furniture fair in Milan, feature seats and backrests supported by chunky tubular metal frames.

"Designers are using thinner and thinner pipes for the structure [of furniture]," Herkner says in the movie. "I wanted to go the other way, so we selected a pipe diameter of about eight centimetres."

The seats and curved backrests are upholstered in a variety of different soft textiles to contrast with the metal frames. Herkner says he wanted to create a collection of furniture with personality.

"I'm not just a guy doing function, function, function," he explains. "I really want to add character to a product."

Herkner, who also designed an accompanying side table featuring the same wide tube, believes his design philosophy fits well with Moroso as a brand.

"I think my approach and the approach of Moroso is very similar," he says. "With Moroso I have the opportunity to make colourful, interesting, beautiful products. It's not just about the function. It's about giving a soul, a character, a personality to the product."

Banjooli by Sebastian Herkner for Moroso — A chair from Herkner's second furniture collection, Banjooli, for Moroso

Pipe is Herkner's second furniture collection for Moroso, following a range of woven chairs called Banjooli for the brand's M'Afrique collection, which is produced by traditional craftsmen in Senegal.

Bask by Sebastian Herkner for Moroso — Sebastian Herkner's first furniture collection for Moroso, Bask. The collection includes a series of baskets woven from paper yarn

His first product for Moroso was a series of baskets woven from paper yarn. Moroso creative director Patrizia Moroso spotted the baskets in Milan in 2011 and asked if she could produce them.

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"That was the starting point," Herkner says. "Then she invited me to Udine and we chatted about art and everything to understand each other, which is very important in the beginning of a collaboration."