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T4 furniture collection by Holloway Li is a nostalgic ode to the 90s optimism
T4 series by Holloway Li x Uma
Image: Courtesy of Uğur Oluş Beklemez
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T4 furniture collection by Holloway Li is a nostalgic ode to the 90s optimism

The London-based design studio collaborates with furniture brand Uma to create a series of vibrant, lightweight modular furniture recalling the era of Cool Britannia and 90s optimism.

by Anushka Sharma
Published on : Nov 02, 2022

The dominance of modern design with its clean lines, subtle tones, minimalism and uncluttered compositions has led to homogeneity and monotony. Breaking this sense of monotonous design with an unabashed optimism that ruled the past millennium is the playful modular furniture collection by architecture and interior design studio Holloway Li, one that also marks their inaugural foray into the sphere of furniture design. From Big Brother’s Diary Room aesthetic to the era of the chat show sofa, the golden age of Cool Britannia and colourful onscreen iconography, running counter to the prevalent minimalism, is anything but subtle. This once-simmering visual language trickles into the contemporary landscape with the T4 series. Realised in collaboration with furniture brand Uma, the lightweight T4 sofa nudges the onlooker to take a step back and retrace the visual language of the1990s television iconography. “The 90s was a kind of genesis for the design – the optimism of the period really struck a chord for us growing up and we wanted to create something playful that had nostalgic references to some of the iconic tv iconography of the period,” say Alex Holloway and Na Li, co-founders of the UK-based design studio Holloway Li.

T4 is a playful modular furniture collection
T4 is a playful modular furniture collection Image: Courtesy of Uğur Oluş Beklemez
The design is reminiscent of Cool Britannia and 90s television iconography
The design is reminiscent of Cool Britannia and 90s television iconography Image: Courtesy of Uğur Oluş Beklemez

The playful curves constitute the principal character of the sofa design, taking significant cues from the manufacturer’s production history. Drawing inspiration from the moulded composites used in the automotive industry—specifically the interior fit-outs of the original London buses, it is a definitive nod to the 90s decor. Striking a compelling balance between a retro aesthetic and a futuristic palette, T4 aims to create a potential future classic, one with the youthful energy of the bygone era. “The curvature of the modular pieces has echoes of some of the furniture which dominated at the turn of the millennium, from Lava Lamps to inflatable chairs, while the vibrancy of the chair design recalls the most iconic of chat room and television sofas which dominated our screens at the time,” share Holloway and Li.

T4 features playful curves evocative of 90s decor
T4 features playful curves evocative of 90s decor Image: Courtesy of Uğur Oluş Beklemez
The design takes cues from the manufacturer’s production history
The design takes cues from the manufacturer’s production history Image: Courtesy of Uğur Oluş Beklemez

Owing to its modular design, T4 allows leeway for various configurations, from single seats to corner sofas and much larger seating arrangements. Each piece is composed of durable fibreglass meticulously finished by hand in Uma’s factory and upholstered in a selection of locally sourced fabrics. The debut collection comes clothed in four original colourways: melon yellow, blush pink, overground orange, and cream soda. More designs that are scheduled to be unveiled in 2023 will also be joining the existing collection. “Holloway Li’s playful and future-facing aesthetic and our technical know-how have seen us together produce lightweight banquettes with a stoney finish for the hotel rooms of Bermonds Locke, and the brightly coloured red and amber resin panels that currently stand tall in the shopfront of The Market Building,” says Steph Gallia, Founder of furniture brand Uma. “We are delighted to work with Holloway Li to realise their vision for T4,” she adds.

T4 features four original colours: Melon, Blush, Orange, and Cream
T4 features four original colours: Melon, Blush, Orange, and Cream Image: Courtesy of Uğur Oluş Beklemez
The modular design can be configured into single seats, corner sofas and larger arrangements
The modular design can be configured into single seats, corner sofas and larger arrangements Image: Courtesy of Uğur Oluş Beklemez

Holloway Li has been designing bespoke furniture for their interior architecture projects across hospitality design, retail, and high-end residential design since the studio’s inception. Each of their projects is cloaked in a distinctive cinematic element that defines its visuals by reiterating the designers’ practice of envisaging whole worlds and narratives for every space that they create. The idea for T4 took shape during a hotel project in Bermonds Locke, London, where the shape and design of it stuck with the designer duo, who evolved it into a collection with four vibrant shades. “While we usually design around a specific clientele, we were excited to be able to put our know-how into creating a piece of furniture that people could enjoy outside of the realms of our projects,” the furniture designers say.

The T4 sofa in Cream Soda
The T4 sofa in Cream Soda Image: Courtesy of Uğur Oluş Beklemez
The furniture is produced in the Uma factory
The furniture is produced in the Uma factory Image: Courtesy of Uğur Oluş Beklemez

Adding on the working partnership with Uma for the expansion of the series in 2023, Holloway Li designers say, “We’re excited to develop our collection further to create new furniture pieces, all of which will retain the spirit of the original T4 design. We’ve already started experimenting and can’t wait to reveal more in the not-too-distant future.” A reference to the designers’ childhood memories of the optimism of the 1990s, the T4 ensemble recollects a visual language that was adrift before contemporary design took centre-stage. Looking back at films and television to narrate new stories, Holloway Li with Uma draws inspiration from vivacious characters that reside in their memories, the associated nostalgia with them, and inject it into modern abodes.

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