The design studio Onlyonly, founded by architects and designers Anna Līva Traumane and Harijs Vucens, has created a speculative chaise longue, Daydreamer. The unusual body position in which the shape of the furniture places the user enhances the sense of presence and invites the user to turn away from the world around them for a moment and be still. Daydreamer was presented at the Design Biennale Rotterdam in February and will be on show at the design fair Collectible in Brussels from March 13 to 16.
Responding to the theme of the Design Biennale Rotterdam «What’s Real is Unfamiliar», Daydreamer challenges conventional notions of leisure and the state of the body in today’s hyper-connected age, inviting us to rethink the relationship between body, space, and self-awareness. In designing the piece, Onlyonly sought to explore what happens when we shift our attention from a constant scanning of the world to a conscious pause.
Daydreamer lifts the user a few centimetres off the ground, with the shape of the furniture placing the user’s body in an unusual position between sitting and sleeping. The terrain of the cushion follows the contours of the human body, defining specific zones for each part of the body, separating the legs, arms, and enclosing the head, and thus heightening the user’s bodily awareness. “We wanted to create an experience that reveals the real and true through the seemingly unfamiliar,” Anna and Harijs say about the work. «’Daydreamer’ is not just a piece of furniture — it’s an invitation to explore a state of stillness and non-performance, where self-observation replaces scanning the world and mindful presence trumps productivity. Like spontaneously lying down on the floor, Daydreamer interrupts the habitual and creates space for self-reflection.»
The contrast between the technological or productive and the humane is also evident in the look of the furniture and the materials chosen. The dynamic shape of Daydreamer evokes a performance aesthetic of products, creating a sense of moving forward, while the function of the furniture is really to provide serenity for the user. The chaise longue is based on a precise steel structure — a sturdy backbone — which supports the soft and flowing surface made up of asymmetrical, independent segments covered with latex. The chosen material is reminiscent of human touch, and the association with skin is further enhanced by the designers’ choice to use latex in its natural shade. Onlyonly presents latex as an alternative to animal materials and plastics, focusing on the ecology and sustainability of materials.
Daydreamer was exhibited at the first Design Biennale Rotterdam, which took place from February 20 to March 2 and gathered more than 100 local and international designers. This is the first time that Rotterdam has hosted a biennale dedicated specifically to design, with an emphasis on experimental and speculative design in all its forms. After its debut at the Design Biennale Rotterdam, Daydreamer will be exhibited at the unique and art design fair Collectible in Brussels, where the piece designed by Onlyonly will be presented in a group exhibition curated by the Spazio Viruly gallery.
Design studio Onlyonly was founded in 2020 by architects and designers Anna Līva Traumane and Harijs Vucens. Their work seeks radical and novel solutions by creating different spatial experiences that enrich the human perception. Onlyonly works interdisciplinarily, translating ideas from contemporary culture, fashion, art, photography, and set design into architecture and design objects.
Viedokļi