Ono

Ono is a fabric upholstered 1 seat sofa with a wooden base.‎The sturdy but elegant Ono family of seating plays with proportions and expectations.‎ Both the Ono 1 seat and Ono 3 sofa are conceived as ‘active’ furniture, inviting several different ways of sitting.‎ Elongated lines, deep upholstery and tactile fabrics combine with an unexpected slant to the seat.‎ The form hugs relatively close to the ground, elevated on thick legs – a solid wide plank with curved ends at the front and two smaller columns at the rear.‎ The rear legs rise up in between indents in the seat upholstery and appear to disappear into the back cushion,which slots over the frame creating a secure and supportive construction.‎ The unique construction means that the design maintains interest when viewed from the back.‎ This is particularly important in the 234-centimetre-long Ono 3, a sofa that can be placed freestanding in a room and look attractive from any angle.‎Demeulemeester and Robyn’s unexpected approach to colour comes to the fore in this family.‎It is the first time that Ann Demeulemeester and her life partner, Patrick Robyn, have designed a complete line of furniture.‎ They have made one-off pieces, such as the Table Blanche for Bulo.‎ As always, the starting point came from an own need or personal interest.‎ “I make something because I’m missing it, I want it, and I can’t find it”, says Demeulemeester.‎ The realisation developed into them wanting to translate these furniture pieces, designed for their own use, into accessible, timeless pieces that people would also want to integrate and cherish at home.‎ Their furniture remains true to the couple’s distinctive aesthetic style.‎ As with all their previous work, a light-hearted game between shadow and light is clearly visible, as well as a kind of refined decadence requiring an involved, intelligent owner.‎ They don’t want to prescribe the use of these pieces but rather make suggestions for their use.‎ At its heart, Demeulemeester’s work has always been an exploration and a celebration of contrasts - a beauty found in the interplay between strength and fragility, structure and nonchalance, the poetic and the radical, aesthetics and functionality.‎ This is also the soul of the furniture collection and is further reflected in a dialogue between proportions and geometry.‎ Linen, oak, wool, velvet, canvas - these materials form the heart of the collection and make you want to touch, caress and feel them.‎ By experimenting with yarns, fibres and pigments, the designers have created a unique palette of textures and colours exclusively for the collection.‎ There is the anticipated deep black and off-white, and also moss green, soft pale pink, a chic cream and warm roasted orange.‎ All furniture is made of wood veneer or solid wood, FSC certified, and finished with either a lacquer or a water-based stain, which protects against dirt and allows you to clean the wood with a slightly damp cloth.‎ The lacquers and stains are always sprayed (not applied with a brush).‎ Customers should always be aware that wood is a natural material that can show imperfections and still undergo changes over time (shrinkage/expansion, change of colour under the influence of light).‎ For the upholstered furniture, the fabrics are woven in Belgium and exclusively designed and confectioned for this collection.‎