Hasta La Ideas

Benjamin Hubert has clearly found his calling in furniture design that is remarkable precisely because it looks so unremarkable. Although his last work, the “Pod” armchair, all but foreshadowed a certain recent video of the recycling process, the London designer has returned to his nautical inspiration for the 2012 Salone with an update to the previously-seen “Maritime” chair and an all-new table for Casamania.

The “Maritime S” is a simple improvement on his 2011 design for Casamania: the low-back armchair now has the option of “soft upholstered panels inserted into the distinctive timber framework.” Yet the addition of color and contrast has an undeniably different effect than the original ultra-restrained oak version. The “Maritime S” is less a blank slate and more an expression of a personality, at once more and less precious, in what can only be considered a welcome change of pace.

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