With POINT he has developed three collections of outdoor furniture. Reluctant to categorise them under any specific style, Pillet explains that he was more interested in creating simple, elegant, modern pieces. For him, this is not a style, but rather a point of view. “I am not looking for the extraordinary, but to reveal what is beautiful and moving in the ordinary,” he says. “I am interested in sustainability from a cultural point of view, investigating its durability and timelessness. I try to design lasting pieces that transcend fashion and are linked to local culture and tradition.”
COLLECTIONS BY CHRISTOPHE PILLET
IN GOOD COMPANY. GABRIEL TEIXIDÓ AND FRANCESC RIFÉ
Paralel
Fup
Regarding his partnership with POINT, Christophe Pillet says that he was seduced by the company’s commitment to craftsmanship.
“If craftsmanship seduces us today, I believe that, through design, we find a unique cultural anchor that speaks to us of substance, of the ability to create something distinctive”.
The three collections have been given evocative names: Long Island, Summer and City.
City
“This collection is my contemporary take on the art of Mediterranean living, which is unconnected to time. It is a universe where the sun and the earth meet”. Its main feature is a powder painted aluminium structure with teak arms and plump, comfortable cushions. These pieces create a composition of great comfort and harmony. The three pieces in the collection –an armchair, a double sofa and a triple sofa– exude classicism and elegance, and their cushions can be customised in terms of both prints and colours.
Summer
This is a new take on the traditional chair: universal, simple, functional and timeless, but now given a touch of refinement, technical precision and sensuality. “The decorative effect is produced here by the texture of the weave. It therefore has something very elaborate (handmade), with a very strong, very simple design,” explains the designer. Made from aluminium combined with rope and available in multiple colours, the collection consists of a dining room chair and armchair. The most important feature is the rope weave, with which POINT and Pillet wanted to pay tribute to the company’s background of craftsmanship. “It is a way for POINT to reconnect with its roots, with its tradition,” he says. “This is an almost indefinite, classic, universal object, which we redesigned very slightly to give it a new touch of modernity”.
Long Island
“My goal with this collection was to make it as desirable and as well finished as a piece of indoor furniture, with a similarly detailed design,” Pillet explains, adding “I sought to create the feeling that these pieces have always existed”. Like a modern classic. Straight shapes and slim lines define the silhouette of this modular collection of outdoor sofas. Eminently versatile, the pieces that make up the collection include an armchair, a sofa and a chaise longue, which adapt to fit each space. The inspiration behind its simple design is classical and, according to Pillet, it aspires “to offer universal elegance and great comfort”. This collection seeks to become a new classic and consists of 11 pieces that are complemented by 5 tables with an aluminium structure.
Spanish talent is also present in POINT’s latest collections through the work of several master designers. Gabriel Teixidó (Barcelona, 1947) has been an industrial designer for more than three decades –he studied at the School of Applied Arts and Artistic Crafts in his home city– and has collected many prizes for his work, including several ADI-FAD and SIDI awards. Known for his austere designs that shy away from formal exhibitionism, his pieces are classics that do not obey trends. A good example of this is his Paralel collection for POINT.
Francesc Rifé (Barcelona, 1969), on the other hand, is an advocate of rationalism and detail both in his work as a designer and as an interior designer. This trained architect prefers not to put too many unnecessary or superfluous elements in his projects, as he shows with Fup, the range of pouffes he has created for POINT. Various prestigious restaurants have used his designs, including Ricard Camarena (Valencia) and Can Fabes (Sant Celoni, Barcelona). His warm minimalism is also present in offices, hotels and shops.
Designed by Gabriel Teixidó and made from Indonesian teak wood –sourced from carefully managed forests– and rope, this collection consists of a set of fifteen pieces including chairs, armchairs, sofas and tables in a contemporary style that offer great comfort. They are characterised by their back, their most distinguishing feature. This timeless design, which is comfortable and rich in details, is designed to be beautiful from any angle. It is the back of the pieces that gives them their true essence, their characteristic distinctiveness. As Teixidó explains, “this is a serene collection, which is here to stay, whose characteristic element, wood, is a living element that connects well with people and gives it warmth”.
These pieces follow the geometric principle of Francesc Rifé’s work philosophy and are based on the simplicity of the circle and the balance of matter. The bulk of the upholstered body contrasts with a narrow base made from hard-wearing teak wood of the highest quality. This design is available in two sizes and heights, which work well either together or alone.