Cool Hunting

We all know that beautiful furniture can be sexy in a shiny, sleek and sinuous sort of way, but two young French designers Bertrand Clerc and Olivier Gregoire have made their furniture sexy in a physical and psychological way with their Leonardo table and chairs.

What really makes furniture attractive is not just how it looks, but how we interact with it; the way a table or chair or table is designed can totally dictate our behaviour, posture and attitude. An uncomfortable chair makes us fidgety, while soft sofa relaxes us. It is not often, however, that we leave our feelings behind us when we get up and walk away. Maybe the scattered cushions or rumpled bedclothes hint at what went on, but they are only subtle clues.

Leonardo, which is still at prototype stage, not only clearly evokes a moment of human behaviour through form but also encourages future occupants to do the same. Imagine sitting at this table and not feeling just a little bit flirty. How can you resist? Bertrand Clerc tells us, “Leonardo finds itself between art and function…it is humanized by the fact that the material has received a human imprint. The object fossilizes a moment of intimacy, it submits itself to the imperceptible then the impalpable becomes tangible. And so form doesn't follow function, it follows the feelings. Leonardo is an ode to love.”

via Reluct