BRETZ SOFA MOONRAFT
A homage to the craft
In this article we will show you how we developed our design idea of the Bretz Moonraft sofa and what challenges we faced in terms of craftsmanship. A lot of clever details and artifices make Moonraft into what it is.
“Moon” describes the place of longing and “Raft” the motif of floating. This imagery is underlined by the impression of linear stitchings (we also call them “tubes”), which are lining up next to each other as if the upholstery was filled with air.
THE LOOK
Inspired by elements of space travel and influenced by the aura of the Space Age, we created a modular sofa with a concise form and linear tubes, like the rippled structure of a space suit. They convey a feeling of security and safety.
Among other things, the paintings of the French artist Vincent Fournier were an important inspiration. He explores mythologies of the future and deals with scenes from space travel and utopian architecture.
TRIAL AND ERROR
The moment after the first sketch had been drawn, we started to transform the idea of the linear shape into reality.
Our first tries were however not satisfactory. We did not want the harsh and solid seating comfort that is often gained by indentions. The attempt to divide the upholstery mat by simple stitching was awkward as well. It looked flat and uninviting.
Linear chambers were supposed to remind of cushions, to nestle up to the corpus while being firmly connected to it at the same time. Like it had always been an entity. This is what gives the design its identity and the sofa its unique soft comfort.
So we started experimenting with long cushion tubes. We also call them Inlet-Tubes. These are filled with a balanced mix of latex rods and hollow fibre polyester beads.
CHALLENGES
A sofa which is used day by day must be able to withstand quite a lot. It wasn’t easy to get the inlets to hold under the surface. We couldn’t just sew the filling under the sofa cover, the whole thing would have lost its shape and torn open again when tension was applied.
We came up with the solution to equip each individual segment with its own zippered bag. This way we created leeway for the filling while keeping it firmly in place at the same time. However, the processing of the inlets remained the biggest challenge. It wasn’t just important that they were filled aptly and were separated, but also that they remained in place.
Each Tube is crinkled at its starting, end, and edge segments in order to maintain its volume. That does not just apply to the filling underneath the surface, but also to the cover which basically dresses the sofa. The workmanship that goes into this is insane, as the sewing requires a lot of skill and patience.
A sofa should not be seen as a static element while it’s being developed. Only after you have sat on it, walked, maybe even jumped on it, does the sofa really come to life. Only then you realize how it behaves, where the pattern does not yet fit properly and where it has to be refinished.
With Moonraft, for example, the casual folds around the individual bars are intentional. These will, of course, become more present as the sofa is being used. But we have taken that into account while coming up with the design and the development of the filling so that the sofa may age with grace.
THE CRAFT
