Milan Design Week 2013: Granoff Sofa by Scot Bailey, Taylor McKenzie-Veal, Ian Stell and Yumi Yoshida

Probably on account of all the wood, upcycling and back-to-basics on show at Milan Design Week 2013, Granoff Sofa by Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) alumna Scot Bailey, Taylor McKenzie-Veal, Ian Stell and Yumi Yoshida stood out like a burger bar in Rovaniemi on Christmas Eve.

And that despite, or better put because, we completely misunderstood what was on display.

Created for the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts at Brown University, the Granoff Sofa is a modular seating system – the object on display at Ventura Lambrate being but one of three base elements.

We however found the brutal cut of the piece on display much better than the images we have since seen of the complete system.

Nothing against the “complete” Granoff Sofa, but we just love the idea of an object that can’t be bothered being a sofa, an armchair or a chaise longue.

An object that functions, that could be developed further. But why bother? Would anyone notice?

Everyone is striving for the perfect form, looking for new form languages that offer users new opportunities.

Why not just produce something that just does the very basics, and leaves the final decision with the user.

Despite the harsh cut and uncompromising geometry of the piece, the “Granoff Sofa Element” as we have christened it is also a very understated, well proportioned and nicely considered piece of work.

In the garish blue and red combination we saw in Milan you obviously can’t ignore it. But produce it grey tones and you have an object that vanishes into the background.

We have no idea if there are any plans to commercially produce the Granoff Sofa, far less the Granoff Sofa Element. However if you are in Rhode Island five examples in differing colour combinations can be viewed and tested in the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts.