Synergistic moments are enjoyed and appreciated in the world of furniture and interiors. From artful, whimsical or fashionable aesthetics fusing with the functionality of a furniture piece, here are a handful of brands that have benefitted from such successful collaborations.

Seletti + Toiletpaper

The baroque mirror was designed by Toiletpaper for Toiletpaper Home Collection. Image: Seletti.

The TOILETPAPER Home Collection, born of the union between Seletti and TOILETPAPER, the magazine signed by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, now includes some explosive new pieces: Baroque Mirror, colourful, madcap mirrors with a Baroque flavour with the surreal character of the magazine.

This mirror with a decorative frame with curved and ornate elements, inspired by the Baroque art movement, will make your living room look like Versailles. Image: Seletti.

Stocked at Journey East, the iconic graphics are now enclosed in a beautiful golden Baroque-style frame, decorating walls with a provocative touch, transporting us through the mirror into a crazy and extraordinary environment.

Depadova + Paul Smith

Sir Paul Smith on his creation for Depadova. Image: Depadova.

Paul Smith’s colourful sartorial magic for renowned Italian furniture brand DePadova marks his first collaboration to produce furniture. Smith’s flair for colour can be found in the details of the upholstery belonging to sofas and armchairs. Here, there are coloured leather straps to bind the seat’s structure, not forgetting the leather pockets hooked onto the finely rounded armrest with its sleek ergonomics. However, Smith’s signature colour palette: deep shades of midnight blue and peacock, sublime ecru, earthy brick red, or a splash of lime green take the limelight. Dubbed “Everyday Life” by Paul Smith, he cites this project as a confluence of fashion and furniture. Even the poufs offer contrasting stitching, which expresses Smith’s sartorial knowledge.

HAY + Herman Miller

Rolf Hay and his wife Mette, founders of HAY. Image: Habitus Living.

HAY was founded in 2022 by Rolf Hay and his wife Mette. It is one of the leading Danish furniture brands renowned for its clean aesthetics and thoughtful play on colour, patterns and materiality. Since being acquired by American furniture giant Herman Miller in 2018, the conglomerate owns the rights to the HAY brand in North America.

In September 2022, the Danish couple debuted their new Eames Collection for Herman Miller. HAY collaborated with Herman Miller to update eight iconic Eames pieces. Through the eyes of HAY founders, they reimagined Eames classics in a forward-thinking, first-of-its-kind collaboration.

This harmonious partnership resulted in Hay revisiting the colour and materiality of iconic Eames pieces, such as plastic shell chairs (both with and without arms), plywood chairs, and the sofa compact. Stocked at Xtra, the classic pieces are now offered in a whole new line of colours, including Powder Pink (a terra-cotta, salmon-esque hue), Toffee (a smooth, sweet brown), or Iron Red (an earthy, southwest shade). The Danish couple spent a considerable amount of time at the Herman Miller archive, poring through pages of documents to better understand the history of the storied brand.

The hay + Herman Miller collection was launched in 2022. Image: Architectural Digest.

As the Danes are big on sustainability, undoubtedly, HAY pushed their green agenda on updating moulded plastic shell chairs to include 100 per cent post-industrial recycled plastic. HAY also experimented with glass, adding glass-cast spheres on the Eames Hang-It-All and glass-cast slabs on the top of the Eames Wire Base Low Table and the Eames Universal Base Round Table.

The HAY + Herman Miller collection maintains the quintessential Herman Miller essence, maintaining modernity with a whimsical twist. “Being very familiar with the existing colour range, I intended to focus on looking ahead instead of looking too far back,” said Mette Hay.

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