Milan, Italy
“I think that, with this project, I achieved a new sensation for this material, also expanding its possibilities,” states Kensaku Oshiro, designer of Spica sofa by Interiors.
“Aluminum is a circular material that has great performances in all its shapes – sheets, blocks, extruded, bars, honeycomb – and I feel we can get the most out of it in terms of design.”
Kensaku Oshiro has designed the Spica sofa for by Interiors Inc. by inventing a new aluminum processing technique, creating aluminum honeycomb panels, giving flexural strength despite their ultra-lightness and thinness.
Spica Sofa has been awarded the 2022 Prize Designs for Modern Furniture and Lighting Award from Global Design News and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
In this project, the designer has aimed high and tried to make a product by press-bending these panels.
Even the simplest panel-shaped product requires high technology and precise production processes.
The large curves of the back and the armrest draw a mellow silhouette, emphasized by the smooth details obtained from the solid aluminum frame.
The 17mm panel used for the base can withstand a 3m length; this allows a clean base without all the ordinary structural elements.
The result is a smooth and gentle shell despite the “coldness” and “hardness” of the material.
The molded cushion develops continuously from the edges of the shell into a bulging soft shape to give comfort and contrast to the rigidity of the structure.
Project: Spica Sofa
Designers: Kensaku Oshiro
Manufacturer: by Interiors Inc.
