Monica Armani creates outdoor chair with woven backrest for Varaschin

Dezeen promotion: woven textiles provides a tactile backrest for this chair that Milan-based designer Monica Armani has designed for Italian brand Varaschin.

Called Emma, the chair is characterised by the woven backrest, which references Varaschin‘s history as a manufacturer of woven rattan and wicker furniture.

This comes in a choice of different textiles and colours, including synthetic fibre cord and waterproof fabric, to suit both indoor or outdoor use.

“Emma is a chair with many personalities, but one strong distinguishing character,” said Varaschin.

Monica Armani has designed two versions of the Emma: a traditional dining chair and a matching armchair.

The chairs also feature seats and legs that can be customised to suit a user’s preferences. Like the backrests, the seats come in a range of textiles and colours, including teal and granite, while the legs are available a variety of metal finishes, or in natural wood.

“Emma offers countless combinations of seats, legs and backs, and lends itself to every kind of situation and mood, adapting in a modern and transversal way to the spaces of contemporary living,” said the brand.

Varaschin was founded in 1969 by brothers Ugo and Pietro Varaschin. Although the brand initially specialised in furniture made from traditional hand-woven rattan and wicker, it later branched out into synthetic alternatives.

Today, the company primarily focuses on manufacturing furniture for outdoor use, with other recent examples including a collection of outdoor rocking chairs.

The Emma chairs are the brand’s first collaboration with Monica Armani, an industrial designer and architect who began her career in 1996. Armani has also worked with a number of international brands, including Kvadrat and Cassina.

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