Sometimes you get the chance to sit in a work of art

It is not often that you are allowed to sit in a work of art, but the new signature piece by Emmanuel Babled lets you experience that unique sensation. This multipurpose furniture with its generous seating and distinct foundation truly embodies both craft and industry, beauty and function. So go on, please have a seat in Babled.

The craft-based work of celebrated French designer Emmanuel Babled has resulted in the easy chair Babled. What started out as a prototype in marble has, working with Offecct, been developed into commercial seating furniture that will be admired for its beauty as much as for its comfort and function in various public spaces.

“The inspiration for the shape and composition of Babled chair came to me when I saw a butterfly leaning on a brick. I loved the contrast between fragility and resilience. The finished piece defines a place in a somewhat cinematic way. While the flowing lines of the soft shell invite you to lean back and stick your legs out in a relaxed way, it also protects you and gives you a sense of control and coolness while swirling around, surveying a room in 360 degrees,” says Emmanuel Babled.

An organic form has been made into an upholstered seat, which is attached to a swivel base on one end of a rectangular foundation made of Corian^®or wood. The foundation firmly connects the easy chair to the floor and also serves as a beautiful display area and side table. Just like a sculpture, Babled chair changes expression when you move around it, which creates a dynamic atmosphere in the room where it is placed.

“If a piece of furniture is placed in a room to align with a certain element and for some reason it shifts in place, things look very off. But Babled chair is made to be seen from all angles and therefore is never out of place, it really enhances the experience of a room,” says Anders Englund, Design Manager at Offecct.

Babled chair was launched at Salone del Mobile in Milan 2018 under Offecct Lab. After a year of further experimentation in materials and techniques, Babled chair is now ready for the market. Offecct Lab is a department within Offecct where new techniques, materials and forms are tried and tested in order to move the furniture industry forward. It is a part of Lifecircle, Offecct’s strategic work with sustainable design.

Bio Emmanuel Babled

French designer Emmanuel Babled (b. 1967) studied Industrial Design at Instituto Europe di Design in Milan before opening his own studio in 1992. Babled blends craftsmanship with innovative design concepts. Each product is the result of observations made of materials and techniques set in their original surroundings, such as marble in Carrara or glass in Murano, Italy. Babled’s designs encompass tradition, modernity, sacredness, consumption, artisanal production, sustainability and new technology. This unique mix lends his work a contemporary, poetic, transcultural character, and is for this reason presented in numerous private collections. Emmanuel Babled is now based in Lisbon and is represented by galleries such as Yves et Victor Gastou (Paris), Twenty First Gallery (New York) and Nilufar (Milan).