Rikke: We have designed two different models. One could be called the luxury version of a pimp couch. This couch is not afraid of anything – especially not standing out. We were inspired by the feeling of a chic hotel lounge where citizens of the world gather in a home away from home. This model is made of our signature print: Leopard. The leopard print has somehow always existed in both our own collections and the collaborations we have been a part of. So it is very much a part of the Baum und Pferdgarten DNA.
The other model is made of dramatic, floral printed velour. We were still inspired by the hotel lounge feel and wanted to work with floral print, which is also a big part of all our collection. It was important to us that the floral print didn’t become too feminine, but had a feeling of raw poetry to it. Like a mix of roadside flowers – wild and beautifully contrasted to the hard settings.
Helle: As the prints are very dramatic, we wanted to keep the shape streamlined as the perfect contrast. Duality and contrasts are really the essence of Baum und Pferdgarten and everything we create, so it was important to us to embrace this in these designs also.
With the shape we weren’t afraid to make it look very “heavy” to make you just want to sit down and relax.
R: Besides the feeling of a cool, worldly hotel lounge we were also inspired by the maximization that is happening in furniture design right now. A real countermovement to the minimalism that has impacted both fashion and interior for a while.
H: We worked off the idea that furniture does not have to be grey and boring. It can be dramatic, dynamic and poetic! Furniture can tell a story and not just be functional.
That being said, we still focused on a streamlined and functional shape to compliment the loud prints.
Did you have a specific kind of space in mind when you designed it?
R: I can see them in hotel bar and lounges. Or just cool hang-out spots. Adding a homely feel to a public place.
H: Cool hang-out places that creates a contrast to the design. Something modern allowing the sofas to stand out. I would shy away from placing the floral velour sofa on an equally printed velour carpet for example.
What would you do in or around the sofa?
R: I would feel welcome and comfortable in a public space.
H: We have of course focused on design, but it is equally important to us that the sofas are comfortable and welcoming. I imagine us lounging around with friends over a drink or two in a cool hotel bar in Paris in these.
If it were a person, how would that person behave or who would it be?
R: They would be a combination of Helle and me.
H: Us in the form of sofas: Full of contrasts and very welcoming.
Any last words you want to say?
We have always had a great passion for interior and therefore this process has been extremely interesting for us. It has allowed us to work with design in new ways and fulfill a long-time dream.
