ONYX SOFA DESIGN BY PIERRE GIMBERGUES
PEUGEOT DESIGN LAB
ONYX SOFA DESIGN BY PIERRE GIMBERGUES
PEUGEOT DESIGN LAB
Milan 2014: a three-metre-long sofa created by Peugeot Design Lab splices
together a piece of volcanic stone and carbon fibre to create a mix of the old
and new.
The design arm of the French car manufacturer mined a single block
of volcanic stone from the Auvergne region in France. The material is known for
its ability to filter water and was created by volcanic eruption 11,000 years
ago.
The team worked with stone cutters who created a flat surface to
allow the other half of the sofa to be connected. A seat section was then
carefully chiseled out of the stone and polished to a shiny finish, in contrast
to the rough, dulled edges of the surrounding rock.
The latitude and longitude coordinates marking the origin of the
stone have been chiselled into the material.
"The Onyx sofa is an illustration of a new concept that we
intend to explore," said Cathal Loughnane, the head of Peugeot Design Lab.
"Unique pieces of furniture, made to measure, to suit the
choice, origin and personality of the customer, but which always respects a
common idea."
The Carbon Fibre section makes up the larger proportion of the
sofa. The material was wrapped around a wooden frame before being attached to
the stone. This section also has the coordinates of where the piece was made
engraved onto the surface. The whole process took 70 days to complete.
"By means of a sharp straight cut, this contrast is powerful,
voluntary and assumed in the way we look at the materials and how they are
used," said Gilles Vidal, Peugeot's styling director.
According to the team, the sofa weighs more than 400 kilograms and
is available in other materials.
Onyx will be showcased alongside seven other sculptures in Milan
next week. The series will include lamps, shelves, armchairs and tables and
contain a mix of materials including quartz crystal and aluminium, black palm
and basalt.
PEUGEOT DESIGN LAB /
THE STUDIO
Peugeot Design Lab is a Global Brand Design studio. The
strength of a brand is not just measured by its products; everything that a
client sees plays a defining role in the perception of the brands image.
Peugeot Design Lab specializes in developing global brand & product
experiences.
Our expertise covers a large range of competences: Brand
strategy, DNA - Illustration of brand vision & values- the creation of a
unique form language & identity, the development of innovative products,
graphics, packaging & communication.
With over 200 years of industrial experience and 120 years of
automotive innovation, Peugeot Design Lab’s experience and know-how is
available to other brands.
The technical and design ressources of the 3 Peugeot Design
studios in Paris, Shanghai & Sao Paolo gives us the capability to develop
the most complex or simple products anywhere in the world.
Every Brand is unique. It possesses its own DNA, history, values
& ambitions. These all combine to create a world unique to a specific
brand. Our role is to help define & illustrate the vision of the brand and
develop the world that will best represent this vision.
In order to assure that this vision is correctly communicated we
first translate it into a unique, coherent & global visual signature. To
accomplish this we define a design philosophy and apply to it a distinct form
language, which allows the products to communicate the values, vision &
identity of their parent brand. This approach must also extend globally to the
choice of materials, colors, graphics & logos and every other aspect of a
brand that is exposed to the client.
In a world that is more global & competitive, establishing a
unique & coherent identity is crucial to the success & durability of a
brand.
Peugeot Design Lab offers a wide variety of business models in
order to fully adapt to the needs of all our different clients and their
projects.
Brand imaging and product development are long term projects that
we view as strategic investments with benefits for both parties. We leave it to
the client to decide whether or not to disclose these collaborations.
Peugeot Design Labs investment into the creation of new products
can lead to a co-investment with the client. Depending on the degree of
involvement, this can range from a partnership to co-branding.
Peugeot has a long history of civic commitment and we are happy to
continue that tradition at Peugeot Design Lab by undertaking not-for-profit
projects.
