12 Moroso Armchairs Embodying the Italian Brand's Commitment to Ingenuity

At Italian design house Moroso, the second-generation family affair has created and curated an extraordinary collection of armchairs (as well as an extensive array of other furniture pieces). A melange of shapes and sizes, every seat is an individual character in a cast of colourful personalities.

Diversity

Through its eclectic approach to design, Moroso is ‘celebrating diversity’: the diversity between spaces and the people who inhabit them; the diversity in design as an expression of varied perspectives and forms. Moroso thinks of its many designs as ‘places in places’—more than functional objects, the brand’s designs add a certain level of iconicity to a place. Every Moroso product has a particular design idiom, something that is especially pertinent to its broad range of armchairs. By working with multifarious international designers, Moroso offers a chair for every occasion, situation and location. The ‘too many chairs’ dilemma is not—it would appear—one that troubles Moroso.

Moroso-Armada — A sculptural seat, the bijou ‘Armada’ armchair was designed by the Indian and Scottish design duo, Doshi Levien. Photo © Decoist.

Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola has created a veritable army of designs for Moroso. In the ‘Lowseat’, Urquiola designed a flexible modular seating system, whose back also offers a moment of rest. Photo courtesy of Architonic.

Lowseat-modular — Lowseat as a modular seating system. Photo courtesy of Architonic.

Moroso-Lilo — ‘Lilo’ was designed by Patricia Urquiola. The chair draws inspiration from modernist Scandinavian design. Photo © Decoist.

Dutch designer Edward Van Vliet created the ‘Karmakoma’ armchair as part of a collection inspired by ‘damask embroidery, oriental symbolism, floral patterns and digital grids.’ Photo courtesy of Architonic.

Ingenuity

Moroso came into being in 1952. Originally managed by Agostino Moroso, the company is now run by his two children: Roberto Moroso, the CEO, and Patrizia Moroso, the creative director. Established in post-war Italy, Moroso was part of a culture that believed in ‘doing things and doing them well’. With prescient insight and an openness to novel ideas, Moroso has employed considerable ingenuity to create an idiosyncratic world of design. In researching new ideas, Moroso draws on the arenas of industrial design, contemporary art and fashion. Its research is a journey of discovery and possibility.

Moroso-Big-Easy — The ‘Big Easy’ armchair was designed by Israeli designer Ron Arad. Photo © Decoist.

Big-Easy-steel — The Big Easy armchair was orginally constructed in 1988, using steel. Photo courtesy of Ron Arad.

Moroso-Pipe — Designed by German designer Sebastian Herkner, the ‘Pipe’ armchair is both oversized and minimal, physical and modern. Photo © Decoist.

Bohemian-armchair — Designed by Patricia Urquiola, ‘Bohemian’ utilises button tufting, creating a seat that resembles a shawl draped on its frame. Photo courtesy of Architonic.

Tia-Maria-by-Moroso — Italian designer Enrico Franzolini’s ‘Tia Maria’ armchair is ergonomically designed and meticulous in its poise. Photo © Moroso.

Imagination

Working with a roster of celebrated designers, Patrizia Moroso asks that they refrain from imagining a single object, but instead ‘imagine a new world and project it into the future.’ A tall order perhaps, but one that is translated across Moroso’s myriad of design moments. At Moroso, the armchair represents ‘a privileged area of design and production research’.