Dezeen Magazine

Patricia Urquiola's outdoor furniture collection celebrates Mughal culture

Patricia Urquiola celebrates Mughal culture with Garden Layers outdoor furniture

Patricia Urquiola has created a daybed and side table for Spanish textile brand Gan, with its roots in 16th-century India.

The Garden Layers collection is designed by Urquiola to reference the architecture and traditions of the Mughal Empire, which ruled India for approximately three centuries.

The first pieces in the collection, launched in 2017, were a series of rugs, mats, roll pillows and cushions that could be arranged to create relaxed outdoor spaces for lounging – similar to how, in Mughal times, it was customary to sit on a carpet-covered floor.

The new daybed and side table are intended to complement these pieces.

Patricia Urquiola's outdoor furniture collection celebrates Mughal culture

While the daybed is raised off the ground and available as a single or double, the side tables are produced in square and rectangular formats, measuring 60 centimetres long and either 60 or 90 centimetres wide.

The tables are made from powder-coated aluminium, and come in terracotta, grey and green colours. The beds also have a powder-coated aluminium frame and are available in three colour combinations.

A terracotta bed frame can be paired with covers made from terracotta waffle or tartan fabric; a grey frame can be teamed with blue waffle or tartan covers; and the green frame is matched with green waffle or tartan upholstery.

"The innovative fabrics and fillings, together with the range of patterns and colours, make Garden Layers an infinitely adaptable collection where different elements can be mixed and matched in order to customise individual outdoor spaces," said Gan.

"Garden Layers is also suitable for any climate or season," it added. "Thanks to its innovative use of materials, the collection can be laid on any type of surface including decking, grass, concrete or or even sand."

Patricia Urquiola's outdoor furniture collection celebrates Mughal culture

Garden Layers is the first outdoor collection to be produced by Gan, a sister brand of furniture company Gandiablasco.

Urquiola, who ranked at number 87 on Dezeen Hot List 2017, came up with the design after visiting an exhibition in India.

"Urquiola visited an exhibition of miniature drawings in India, where Gan's collections are made by hand," said the brand of the collection's origins. "Mughal culture celebrated nature and outdoor spaces, and gardens and terraces were common spaces to relax and talk."

The new products debuted during Milan design week earlier this year, alongside a new collection of modular sofas, rugs and screens by Neri & Hu, which aim to blend eastern and western design sensibilities.