Hasta La Ideas

Milan 2013: wingback armchairs by Spanish designer Jaime Hayón for Danish brand Republic of Fritz Hansen were unveiled in Milan earlier this month (+ slideshow).

Ro, meaning “tranquility” in Danish, features a curved seat shell that swoops out on both sides to form armrests and dips inward at the neck to follow the shape of the user’s body.

Separate rounded cushions for the headrest, back and seat are covered in a slightly different texture to the shell they sit in.

Two small buttons at chest height provide small details on the otherwise uninterrupted surfaces.

The chair is supported on four smooth, rounded legs that can be chosen in different coloured woods or metals.

Nine different fabric colour options and a variety of materials including leather and velvet are available.

Jaime Hayón debuted the chairs at the Republic of Fritz Hansen showroom in Milan and also presented a series of outdoor furniture for BD Barcelona during the city’s design week.

Other chair launches from the event we’ve featured include Konstantin Grcic’s Parrish collection for Emeco and Stefan Diaz’s trio of chairs for e15.

See more designs by Jaime Hayón »
See all our coverage of Milan 2013 »
See more chairs on Dezeen »

Read on for more information from Republic of Fritz Hansen:

Ro – the new comfort zone

The world-renowned Spanish designer Jaime Hayon has worked together with Republic of Fritz Hansen to create today’s answer to tomorrow’s easy chair. A chair where you can find room for your inner space and take a break from the hectic bustle of everyday life. The chair is called Ro and will be launched at Salone del Mobile 2013 in Milan.

Time for reflection is a luxury in today’s world. We are all busy and always short of time to create a moment for quiet contemplation. The new easy chair springs from a desire to create a piece of furniture that offers an opportunity for reflection in our busy lives.

However, Ro is much more than an easy chair. It’s a 11⁄2-seater where you can relax, change positions and have your newspaper, computer or child next to you and create a new comfort zone.

The design of the shell is elegant and simple, pleasing to both the eye and the body and offers the promise of tranquility in both its visual expression and its comfortable functionality. Furthermore, the form of the shell gives you the choice of being part of what goes on in the room or relaxing in your own private space.

Fritz Hansen’s design brief to Jaime Hayon was “… to create a comfortable seat for one person”. “We put a great deal of effort into the form of the chair, which is inspired by the human body. We wanted a chair that was comfortable as well as beautiful. My goal was to create a slim and elegant chair that encourages reflection and comfort,” says Jaime Hayon.

“Ro” means tranquility in Danish. The name was chosen because it captures the point of the chair in just two letters, thus reflecting the Nordic approach and concept of beauty.

Ro is made with great craftsmanship and in the highest sustainable quality. Combined with the sculptural and elegant design, the result is a functional and aesthetic chair that fascinates its surroundings. One seems to fall in love with it. Ro does not compromise on either comfort or aesthetics.

The easy chair is available in nine colours: three traditional options (black, grey and taupe), three bright colours (violet, blue and yellow) and three soft colours (light pink, sage-green and sand). For a more vibrant look, the chair features two different textures: one for the seat shell and one for the cushions, which supports the contrasted expression of the hard shell and the warm and soft interior.

Ro is launched in the Republic of Fritz Hansen’s showroom in Milan during Salone Internazionale del Mobile in April 2013. The easy chair will be available from Republic of Fritz Hansen and authorized retailers from September 2013.

The post Ro armchair by Jaime Hayón
for Republic of Fritz Hansen appeared first on Dezeen.

Competition: we’ve got together with design brand Republic of Fritz Hansen to give readers the chance to win a Kaiser Idell Luxus lamp worth £600.

Now celebrating its 80th birthday, the lamp was originally designed in 1931 by silversmith Christian Dell and Republic of Fritz Hansen acquired the license to produce it last year. The Kaiser Idell Luxus comes as a table, floor, wall or pendant lamp in black, ivory, white, red and green.

We have one table lamp in ruby red to give away. To enter this competition email your name, age, gender, occupation, and delivery address and telephone number to competitions@dezeen.com with “Kaiser Idell Luxus” in the subject line. We won’t pass your information on to anyone else; we just want to know a little about our readers. Read our privacy policy here.

Competition closes 13 December 2011. The winner will be selected at random and notified by email. The winner’s name will be published in a future edition of our Dezeenmail newsletter and at the bottom of this page. Dezeen competitions are international and entries are accepted from readers in any country.

Subscribe to our newsletter, get our RSS feed or follow us on Twitter for details of future competitions.

Here are some more details from Republic of Fritz Hansen:

Celebrating 80 years of design: KAISER idell Luxus by Republic of Fritz Hansen to be won

Recognised as one of the most famous lighting designs that evolved from the Bauhaus era, the KASIER idell is the perfect gift to light up your Christmas.

Created by the German silversmith Christian Dell in 1931, the KAISER idell light collection is available as a table lamp, floor lamp, wall lamp and pendant in the original colours; black, ivory, white, ruby red and dark green.

Distinguished by its characteristic dome lampshade, embossed with the trademark words ‘ORIGINAL KAISER idell’, the iconic design creates a special sculptural effect whilst the hand-painted shade and base beautifully reflect the light, creating Danish ‘Hygge’ (meaning cosy and relaxing) during the dark winter months.

The KAISER idell series is today manufactured by Fritz Hansen who acquired the designed rights in 2010. The timeless design virtues of the KAISER idell series perfectly match Fritz Hansen’s design profile. As with Poul Kjærholm and Arne Jacobsen’s furniture designs, the lamps are design icons where aesthetics and functionality unite wonderfully to exude robust elegance and Bauhaus quality.

The designer behind the classic design icon Christian Dell (1893-1974), is recognised as one of the leading characters behind the innovative and pioneering designs that appeared in the early thirties. Trained as a silversmith at the “Sächsische Kunstgewerbeschule” (School of Arts and Crafts) in Hanau, Germany, Dell pursued his passion for craftsmanship and design working as a supervisor at the “Metallwerkstatt Bauhaus Weimar” (Weimar Bauhaus Metal Workshop) before being promoted as principal of the Metal Workshop at the “Frankfurter Kunstschule” (Frankfurt School of Arts) in 1926.

Dell’s influence was trend-setting and visible in many designs over the decades and he was particularly well known for his lamp designs. The KAISER idell series originally produced by the German lighting company Gebr. Kaiser & Co. was and still is a timeless design.

The story telling and iconic status of the KAISER idell lamp design makes it the perfect Christmas gift that will light up your Christmas in style. The KAISER idell is available to purchase from Fritz Hansen’s Republic Stores and authorised Fritz Hansen dealers in Europe.

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