Gently dancing tendrils of plants gripped by the seabed, fish and marine reptiles waddling through large bodies of water, and the occasional bubbles floating through bodies of water come together to mask a spooky milieu. Taking advantage of this enigmatic scene, Paris-based multidisciplinary design studio Uchronia designed the Wave Collection. Just as the name of the collection suggests, the pieces that compose it are inspired by the different conformations in which the waves of bodies of water manifest themselves. The undulating shapes that characterize these pieces are further enriched with a mixture of colors and vibrant patterns, comparing them not only to the marine habitat but also to its inhabitants.
The pieces that make up the collection are the Peanut coffee tables and dining table, Biscuit coffee table, Lily and Pink side tables, Daisy slime, the Cloud table, the Flower coffee table and cushion, the Peanut cushion, the Sunny armchairs, the Poppy wooden bar, the Bambi shelf, the Smile wall lamp, the Corrugated dining table, the seaweed lamp, the Kiss bench and stool, the Astonished lamp, and the seaweed curtain. A range of materials such as walnut, eucalyptus, oak, walnut, louro faia, poplar burl, veneered wood, Raku ceramics, stucco-marble, glitter and plain resin, metal , dedar cloth, weingarten, epoxy, Van Gogh onyx, wire, and seaweed were used to construct these pieces. They embrace the materiality of these entities as well as the form in which they are sculpted.
Each piece in the collection – a combination of different materials and techniques – is like the chaotic nature of a wave, different in scale and shape. From the immensity of the table to the delicate filigree of the chair uprights, multiplied or turned to give rise to the petals of the Flower tables, all water atmospheres find their tangible expression in the Wave collection. Experiments with the “wave” pattern have led to a series that looks more like ripples than a complete home collection. Each piece is an evolution of the previous one, the product of continuous research into form, color and scale. To bring these ideas to life, Uchronia worked with various experienced international artisans.
With Arles-based artist and craftsman Bruno Hugounenq, who builds furniture in the style of Renaissance works of art and embellishes walls with wax as was done in Roman times, Uchronia built the stucco tables multicolored and marble. “We met Bruno Hugounenq in Arles, in his studio, seduced by the rich materiality of marble stucco and its many possibilities. The idea of diverting this very classic technique, of redefining the colors and their combinations, of applying it to other more contemporary forms, such as those of our tables, was immediate. From our first visit and meeting with Bruno, a common understanding emerged and our collaboration began. Since then, we have developed a common language of combinations of shapes, materials and colors,” explains Julien Sebban.
Another collaborator, ceramist Fabienne L’Hostis, used the ancestral craftsmanship of Raku to season the furniture in the Wave collection. “Fabienne manages to adapt her creations to the models we imagine, most often table tops or wall lamps, constantly reinventing this age-old art. As raku is traditionally white or naturally colored, some of our color explorations were particularly challenging for her. It’s amazing to work with an expert to push the boundaries and experience a new side to such an ancient craft,” the studio says of the artist working in the contemporary decor space.
Sébastien Bevierre, a workshop in the Île-de-France region, helped Uchronia realize its lighting vision. “We wanted to recreate the light of the moon. The interior of the hammered bronze lamps made together resembles the surface of a planet, or a stone”, says Sebban about the appearance of the lamps obtained thanks to the techniques developed by the artisans of Crealum’in. The eponymous workshop of craftsman David Roma, known for painting, lacquering and varnishing as well as restoring archaic objects, has given the unique luster and shine to the tables of Uchronia. The Jouffre workshops and the fabric manufacturer Prelle, for their part, made the coverings for the collection.
Uchronia is a French design studio with interests in interior design, space design, furniture design, and architecture. Taking its name from the 19th century portmanteau ‘uchronia’, the creative practice experiments with divergent ideas outside of classical frameworks. Led by French architect Julien Sebban, the design collective – located in the 18th arrondissement of Paris – collaborates with young creatives from all over the world to imagine restaurants, public interiors, scenographies and graphic identities. The practice’s experimentations across genres are physically manifested in their presentation at the studio gallery in Paris, France. With the Wave Collection, the firm adds a new dimension to its array of countless creations.
Together, an amalgamation of colors, materials, scales and transparencies – make up the Wave collection – offering a window into an alternative and more colorful world. They serve as manifestations of a vision that can be crafted with a more imaginative approach to design.
