Part sculpture, part sanctuary. This is how the Dutch furniture brand Moooi reads its first collaboration with singer Robbie Williams. Reduced for the moment to a single seat called the Introvert Chair, it is the British’s first foray into the world of furniture. The first thing that catches your attention is the design of the object itself, with a curved and padded structure that, in the words of its creators, will make anyone who tries it feel as if they were receiving a hug.
The tactile mix of alpaca, virgin wool and cotton that covers the chrysalis-shaped armchair reinforces that function. huggable of this piece designed in an ivory tone with the aim of relaxing the nervous system. “More than just a seat, Introvert Chair is a state of mind. One that values introspection, boundaries, and emotional well-being. It invites you to occupy space without acting. To reflect on yourself. To be alone, but never alone,” the creators explain on the website.
Each chair cover and the additional set of cushions that accompany the seat are sewn with a three-dimensional quilting technique that seeks to surprise with a play of textures, volumes and light that intensifies its rotating mechanism. Bold, discreet or capable of transmitting serenity are some of the adjectives that accompanied its presentation, prior to the physical launch that will take place these days during the edition of .
According to the digital design and architecture magazine Dezeen, the singer would have chosen to design such an enveloping piece of furniture as a response to his own experience with social anxiety. , the result of the restlessness that comes with dealing with his legion of fans every day. “The Introvert Chair is much more than a place to sit, it is a state of mind. In a world that rarely stops, we often crave a place of respite, and this chair is just that,” Williams stated in the official statement.
Beyond that healing function that the creator himself gives it, its design drags all kinds of opinions in its wake. While in , publications such as digital Hyperallergic −specialized in contemporary art – they define it as .
Dezeen readers also question the veracity of its design. from constructive comments such as “you need support in your upper back and shoulders to be able to relax completely” or “too upright and exposed” to fierce criticism against the British: “The current midlife crisis of a former Take That, now in armchair form.” The mention of labor intrusion did not take long to arrive either. “I have been a designer for about 30 years. Now I am going to compose a song for the first time. Do you think it will be a success?” comments one of the readers.
For him, the interest of this piece whose formality, he points out, participates in pop culture, lies in its desire to connect with an experience beyond contemplation and rest. “I don’t think it’s new nor does it pretend to be. Nor that there’s any research behind it in terms of design. But it has a certain sincerity and it works visually, and that’s sometimes enough,” explains the founder of , who has just designed the space, a cycle center indoor that fuses sport, design and well-being in the center of Madrid.
Trueba also highlights the chosen fabric and the quilting technique that connects with that idea of a nest, a refuge. “The neutral tone also conveys a certain tranquility to me.” The furniture and lamp designer who has his studio in the Chamberí neighborhood considers that the shape of the backrest is an aspect to improve. “I mean curved transition that connects with the cushion, which is also a revision of many pieces of furniture from the eighties.”
Another point to question is its price: 3,895 euros. Aligning this amount with the exclusive designer design offered by Moooi, the decoration firm founded by Marcel Wanders and Casper Vissers in 2001, it is rare for the seats in its catalog to drop below four figures. The pedigree of the piece seems to support it from Wanders himself to other designers such as the furniture pioneer in the metaverse, Andres Reisinger, who make up his list of limited editions.
The arrival of Williams, with a similar value despite his inexperience in the sector, opens the dilemma about whether the publicity that comes with having the signature of the author of the songs of Feel, Angels o Rock DJ is reason enough to inflate your sticker price.
Trueba, however, points out that this transversal action between an artist like Robbie Williams and the world of design is a success, since it provides a panoramic vision of the current world. “Let’s not forget that Moooi is a brand that also has emerging designers and new talents that coexist with great masters of 20th century furniture design.”
This is not the British’s first foray into the artistic field. In addition to having designed some Technicolor figures in the shape of Jesus Christ and the Pope together with the ceramics firm 1882 Ltd, in the English town of Stoke-on-Trent – also the birthplace of Williams –, Williams stands out for a pictorial production that was shown for the first time.
The depression and other mental health problems that Williams has confessed to suffering for a long time – and the humor that helps him cope with them – are the common threads of a long series of large-scale paintings dominated by color, pop references and ironic-therapeutic phrases such as: “I’m going out for a moment to have a nervous breakdown, does anyone want something?” The Barcelona headquarters of this museum also has a room dedicated to the singer since this summer, which coexists, under the title of , with works by Basquiat, Yayoi Kusama, Andy Warhol and Banksy, among others.
