From the Series
David Adjaye’s first furniture collection reflects his practice’s architectural projects through its investigation into materials, silhouettes and forms.
Renowned design and furniture company Knoll invited architect Adjaye to create a furniture collection that would be realised over the course of three years. The collection was developed during the realisation of his signature project, The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C.
The furniture explores a number of themes such as monumentality, materiality and history, says Adjaye.
The Washington Collection includes two cantilevered chairs – the Washington Skin and Washington Skeleton. The main focus of the design was to mimic the form of a seated person, so that the chair almost disappears when in use and is of utmost comfort. The ribbing pattern is a translation of the forces required to brace this shape.
The Washington Corona coffee table is an investigation into the relationship between inside and outside, public and private, exposing and concealing – ideas that feed into the practice more generally. The exterior is exposed in its raw, sandcast state and the interior is mirror polished. The legs serve to adjoin the surfaces and to support the heavy glass top.
The Washington Collection is now available in a range of colours, which were presented for the first time at the 2014 Salone del Mobile in Milan.
