Freeform Sofa
Isamu Noguchi, 1946
The sculptural quality of Noguchi's design vocabulary finds expression in the Freeform Sofa: it is entirely different from other designs of the same period, appearing in combination with the Ottoman like an enlarged sculpture of flat, rounded river stones. The slender organic forms are fluid and graceful. Noguchi emphasises the lightness of the elements with thin yet comfortable upholstery and a choice of cover fabrics in natural colours.
The Freeform Sofa and companion Ottoman were produced around 1950 in limited numbers. Today, the few remaining pieces achieve record prices at auction. The designs have been manufactured in an authentic re-edition since 2002. The sofa is suitable not only for use in living spaces, but also in lobbies, hotels and retail shops.
The Freeform Sofa and companion Ottoman were produced around 1950 in limited numbers. Today, the few remaining pieces achieve record prices at auction. The designs have been manufactured in an authentic re-edition since 2002. The sofa is suitable not only for use in living spaces, but also in lobbies, hotels and retail shops.
Isamu Noguchi is revered as a universal talent with a creative oeuvre that went beyond sculpture to encompass stage sets, furniture, lighting and interiors as well as outdoor plazas and gardens. His sculptural style is indebted to a vocabulary of organic forms and exerted a sustained influence on 1950s design.
'My Father, Yone Noguchi is Japanese and has long been known as an interpreter of the East and West, through poetry. I wish to do the same thing through sculpture.'
Isamu Noguchi wrote this in his proposal for a Guggenheim Fellowship.
This product was designed by
Isamu Noguchi
The oeuvre of Japanese-American artist and designer Isamu Noguchi is unusually multi-faceted, ranging from the fine arts to industrial design. Since 2002, Vitra has produced re-editions of his designs in cooperation with the Isamu Noguchi Foundation in New York.