Pucca puffs and Oppo chair by Stefan Borselius, Blå Station – All photo, courtesy of Blå Station.
Milan 2016 – On its 30th anniversary Blå Station teamed with Zero and set a foot in Milan with a joined showroom where international designers presented the 2016 collections. We asked to the designers and the companies about Nordic and international cooperation as well as how it is still important to be physically at place with a furniture store instead then an online shop.
RELATED STORIES: Read more about Milan Design Week on ArchiPanic…
Gaia by Stone Design, Blå Station.
“Blå Station was born 30 years ago. Since then, my father, my brother and I decided to produce furniture that we firstly liked without following what the market wanted us to do” Said Mimi Lindau of Blå Station. “The product to us is the priority, while the designer and the company itself are vias to get the design produced. That’s why when we launch a new product, it has to be completely new and never seen before. We can say that we never compromised to make mainstream products”.
Åhus chair by Outofstock, Blå Station.
Swedish designer Stefan Borselius continues the collaboration with Blå Station in name of roundness. The new Pucca puffs resemble coloured pebbles that can be easily moved around thanks to a practical handle. The collection is designed to match Oppo, an upholstered chair with an iconic rounded shape.
“I mostly work with Swedish companies, but I feel that design blends different styles and national heritages. Today, especially at Milan Design Week, it is all pretty much international” said Stefan Borselius to ArchiPanic.
Pucca puffs by Stefan Borselius, Blå Station.
Spanish studio Stone Design presented Gaia a modular set of acoustic panels that can be combined to create colourful geometric patterns. “Gaia emerges directly from the earth. It means nature for us, and represents the print of a planet” says Cutu Mazuelos of Stone Design to ArchiPanic.
Gaia by Stone Design, Blå Station.
“How is to work with a Swedish company? We get along very well and really free to express ourselves. Being Spanish we have a tendency for passion and vibrant colours. That, mixed with Scandinavian heritage, creates a such vibrant synergy at the point some told us that we were Swedish designers living in Spain”.
Gaia by Stone Design, Blå Station.
2016 collection includes also Åhus, a compact easy chair by emerging design studio Outofstock. The seating was designed to give a sense of asymmetry thanks to one practical side table in laquered oak or carrara marble. “The uphosltered seating that comes in fabric or leather aims to find a balance between the modern and the timeless and to blend in in contemporary and classic interiors” said at Outofstock.
“We are a multi-cultural design collective that was born out of a fortuitous meeting in Stockholm, hence the name Outofstock”. Founded by Wendy Chua, Gabriel Tan, Gustavo Maggio and Sebastian Alberdi the studio is based in Barcelona, Singapore and Buenos Aires and works for international clients.
Åhus chair by Outofstock, Blå Station.
ArchiPanic: In a world that tends to go digital Blå Station and Zero chose to open a joined traditional retail store in Milan. How’s that?
“What is the past and what is the future? The answer is still blurred under many aspects” Says Mimi Lindau of Blå Station to ArchiPanic. “We though believe that furniture is an investment. We design and produce objects that are to last for a long time. And that is also sustainable”.
Blå Station and Zero furniture store in Milan.
“I believe people wouldn’t mind to buy design icons online. Objects they know, they’ve seen or even tried somwhere else. But people have the right to wonder wether the website picture reflects the quality they expect. Otherwise, they have to try. And that’s why we believe that is important to be at place. As our physical designs narrates their story not only visually, but when you touch them… or seat on them”.
Blå Station and Zero furniture store in Milan.
Per Gill, export manager of Zero added: “We are proud and happy to be here in Milan and convey our design values as well as our Nordic heritage”.
Images: courtesy of Blå Station.
