Faye Toogood's Squash collection brings "human element to furniture"

British designer Faye Toogood and Italian brand Poltrona Frau have created the A Squashed Space installation at London Design Festival to showcase the duo's soft and squishy furniture.

Originally unveiled at Milan design week in April, the Squash collection is now on display at Poltrona Frau's London flagship store as part of installation called A Squashed Space.

Generous contours characterise the collection of seating, mirrors and a large rug, which balance Toogood's distinctive "sculptural forms" with the 112-year-old brand's selection of wrinkly leather upholstery.

"I've worked a lot more with giant pillows than straight lines," Toogood told Dezeen at the store. "I'm not the designer who is going to come along with the ergonomic angles."

Central to the collection is the colourful Squash armchair, complete with a soft bloated seat set within a curvy birch plywood base.

Toogood described the chair as an homage to a traditional club chair, which references the early research of brand founder Renzo Frau.

"When Poltrona Frau started, Renzo came to the UK and was looking at traditional English upholstery – old chesterfields and club chairs – and these were the starting points that he wanted to give an Italian leather twist," she said.

"So it kind of made sense, being the English girl exploring their factory and archive in southern Italy, doing it the other way round and bringing the English into an Italian company."

The large checkerboard rug was informed by a traditional English folk game, while the wiggly-shaped mirrors in various sizes were also designed to reference old folk leather mirrors.

Squishy ottomans and side tables also feature in the installation, which was framed by floor-to-ceiling patterned textiles finished in the same pink, purple and blue hues as the striking furniture.

"The challenge is, how can I get this sculptural form that we're all drawn to, but also make something really comfortable," reflected the designer.

Toogood's design process does not involve typical CAD drawings. Rather, the designer sculpts maquettes out of various materials to visualise her creations.

"I really want to bring a more human element to furniture," she considered.

"Because I know that AI can do a better job of it than me – you know, in terms of inputting 'Faye Toogood and Poltrona Frau' and I'm sure something interesting would come back. But it wouldn't have the human touch."

Toogood reflected on the associations with "femininity" connected to her recent furniture designs, including other pieces that she presented in Milan.

"I think what it means for me is that the work has me in it," she explained.

"Having spent 10 years designing clothes, I'm really fascinated by the body, and how the body interacts with textiles. How the body wants to feel. So now, I feel like I can bring that into the furniture. This link between body, furniture, human, textile and the way we live."

"We're starting to see more women taking roles in furniture design because I feel like we have a relevant contribution that is not exactly what has come before," added the designer.

"I feel that we do have a closer sense of emotion, humanity, tactility – these are the things that are potentially more important to women."

"Growing up as a furniture designer, there really weren't very many furniture designers," continued Toogood. "They were mostly architects doing furniture design."

"Patricia Urquiola, to name one of them, has banged down the door for women. I feel I'm closely behind her," she added. "And then there's a whole other generation of girls and women who won't have to have that conversation – I feel like I'm having it for them."

This year's London Design Festival has featured a range of other projects, from a glue-laminated timber installation packed with 20 plant species to small-scale objects made from tree-based waxes, resins and dyes.

The photography is by Mark Cocksedge. 

A Squashed Space takes place from 14 to 22 September 2024 at Poltrona Frau, 147-153 Fulham Road, London SW3 6S, UK, as part of London Design Festival. Visit Dezeen Events Guide for a guide to the festival and other architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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