Bonds

Zaozuo which means "design and production” is a young and dynamic Chinese design brand, whose optimism matches that of China’s nascent design culture. Luca Nichetto served as creative director of the Chinese start-up furniture brand from 2015 to 2018.

Available in armchair, two-seat and three-seat versions, Cofa (2015) is a seating system that is designed for contemporary life. With many homes surrounded by the bustle and activity of megalopolises such as Beijing or Shanghai, Cofa is a cocoon to shelter a person from the pressures of modern life. This sense of comfort is enhanced by a deep seat and extra cushioning around the sides and backrests. The Cofa L (2016) Leather collection introduces a new three-seat sofa, armchair and ottoman – executed in high-quality Italian leather – while the shape of the original Cofa’s pillows have also been refined to provide additional comfort.

Silk (2015) is a family of chairs inspired by the Silk Road that connected East and West for millennia, Silk reinterprets classic American designs of the 1950s through the lens of traditional Ming furniture. Its gentle curve maximises comfort and evokes the sleekness of its namesake material. The outdoor version features an aluminium structure and legs.

Thinking of it as a constellation formed by different elements in constant transformation, Cosmo (2015) comes to light as the new modular storage system. Starting from a metal framework and L-shaped wooden bases, it offers the possibility of a complete customisation through shelves, drawers and storage units of different sizes.

The Lathe Stool (2016) can serve as either a stool or a side-table presenting a new typology for contemporary living. The stool’s wooden seat rises up from its base, revealing a hollow interior suitable for storage. Its sculpted form references the aesthetic of traditional copper pots, baskets and swivel stools.

Zodiac (2016) is a modular display system centered around a hexagonal metal framework onto which polyurethane accessories can be attached. Built up in this way, Zodiac generates elegant geometrical networks, with multiple Zodiacs combining to form complex constellations.

On (2016) is inspired by the classic form of traditional earthenware vases. Its generous tabletop provides a place to rest charging devices, while the hollow stem effortlessly hides their messy cables. A cork base lifts the table off the ground, with a small gap to let the cables out.

The Arch (2015) side chair takes this familiar Chinese feature and translates it into a piece of contemporary design. Whether in antique furniture, classical architecture, or even the alphabet, the arch is an omnipresent form in Chinese culture. The chair is entirely made from metal; with its bent frame and laser-cut backrest and seat.

Inner (2015) is a compact bookcase that responds to smaller habitable spaces. It is made from two sturdy vertical pieces that enclose a series of slender shelves, all raised up on four subtle legs. It can function as a hallway shoe rack, a bathroom shelf, or a display for showpiece items.

The cayman is a hybrid animal – as happy on land as it is in the water – and the same holds true of Zaozuo’s Cayman: a set of nesting tables that adapt to any environment. Cayman (2016) is made from natural solid ash and its individual components pivot around one another to create flexible constellations, variously serving as side tables, serving trays, cake stands, or whatever else the situation might call for.

SPACES

The blank first page of a new notebook represents possibility – of ideas yet unwritten and futures yet to be decided. It was this feeling of excitement and mystery that we wanted to capture when we designed the interiors for the Zaozuo showroom in Beijing’s Indigo shopping centre in 2016. The showroom design resembles a blank sheet of grid paper, courtesy of a lattice of white and grey lines crisscrossing the space and coalescing into display modules. Colourful objects sit within the display cases in chromatic order to encourage visitors to focus on individual products.

Following the design of the Beijing space, we were invited to adapt the same concept for a Zaozuo showroom in Shanghai. Store’s grid display system was maintained by creating a series of curated room-sets spread across two floors.