Lara Bohinc brings curvaceous ‘Peaches’ seating and ‘Porcelain’ vases to Alcova

Object and furniture designer Lara Bohinc, known for her animated designs that are inspired by the curves of the feminine body, has recently designed two collections emulating the voluptuous shapes of female bosoms and bottoms in an exaggerated visage. Both the ‘Peaches’ collection and the ‘Porcelain’ collection will remain on display at Alcova during Milan Design Week 2022. The 'Peaches' collection, consisting of three pieces, and the 'Porcelain' collection, consisting of two vases, utilise curvilinear forms to create captivating animated figures that mimic the actions of other living things. “The female form has always been a source of inspiration in art, photography and design but often with an unrealistic eye or as a response to society’s perception of how the female body ’should’ look. I wanted the Peaches collection to be a pure and unabashed celebration of femininity and the female form, celebrating every curvy, voluptuous and fleshy detail,” says Bohinc, a former jewellery designer.

The seating collection and vases are currently on display at Via Simone Saint Bon 1 in Alcova, placed alongside each other at an abandoned nunnery. These brightly-hued pieces, stationed against the light turquoise walls and traditional patterned tiles, stand out both for their bold and sensual design and for their heavily contemporary aesthetic against a traditional setting. Enhanced further by a large Virgin Mary statue and a picture of a past Pope, the space, although dotted with furniture design items, materialises as an art exhibition. “Although my previous work has always had a feminine touch, my pieces have often featured more geometric qualities. The Peaches collection is my most curvaceous to date, reminiscent of all the gorgeous shapes of a woman’s body and with no straight lines or sharp angles in sight,” explains Lara Bohinc, who has created this collection under her eponymous industrial design firm, Bohinc Studio.

With its smooth curves, soft surfaces, and overall cradling form, Peaches serves not only to celebrate the female form, but also as a comfortable piece of furniture that can be hugged and sat upon comfortably. The Big Girl armchair, Peachy pouffe and Derrière armchair, hand-made in a north London upholstery workshop using wood, steel, foam and wool fabric, appear like a constitution of elongated and puffed up limbs, ready to talk back and comfort the user.

All the pieces in this collection are constructed using wood. These curvaceous wooden forms are then covered in a layer of foam and then wool upholstery, which adds softness and texture to the seats. While the Big Girl armchair, the largest piece in the collection, is made up of four elongated wood elements, the Derrière armchair is composed of six symmetrically shaped forms. The Peaches pouffe is composed of several closely clustered curvy elements that come together to give form to a versatile piece of furniture, suitable for use both as a stool and as a footrest.

Bohinc’s other collection, namely ‘Porcelain’ is more laidback and subtle, both in its design and colour. Also inspired by the curves of the female body, the different elements in each piece are assembled together to form containers that can house flowers and other objects with ease. Washed in subtle pastel colours, they complement the brightly coloured seats by Bohinc well. ‘Porcelain’ collection’s two pieces, namely the Mama Chicken And Baby Chicken Vase and Bubu Vase are evocative of both real and imaginary living beings. The Mama Chicken And Baby Chicken Vase references a bird sitting on an egg and is inspired by the banal riddle “What comes first: the chicken or the egg?”. Handmade using porcelain in a small artisanal workshop in Portugal, they come in two sizes, the larger Mama and the small Baby, and are available in pale blue, sage green, white and pastel pink finishes. The Bubu Vase, made using similar techniques, is a physical representation of a mythical pod-like creature conceptualised by Bohinc. Its shape is inspired by the folds and forms of flowers, fruits and seeds and are reminiscent of the fleshy wildflowers that can trap insects.

Bohinc Studio’s ‘Peaches’ and ‘Porcelain’ collection will remain on display from 5 June to 12 June 2022 at Alcova in Via Simone Saint Bon 1, 20147 Milano, Space C3 in Casa Dell Suore, Milan, Italy.

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