Uchronia channels motifs from marine life into their latest homeware collection

Softly dancing tendrils of plants gripped by the seabed, fishes and sea reptiles waddling through large expanses of water, and the occasional bubbles floating through water bodies come together to masquerade a phantasmagorical milieu. Lifting a figment from this enigmatic scene, Paris-based multidisciplinary design studio Uchronia designed the Wave Collection. Just like the name of the collection suggests, the pieces that make it up are inspired by the various conformations in which the waves of water bodies manifest themselves. The undulating forms that characterise these pieces are further splurged with motley of vibrant colours and patterns, likening them not only to the marine habitat but also to its inhabitants.

The pieces that make up the collection are the Peanut coffee tables and dining table, Cookie coffee tables, Lily and Rosie side tables, the Daisy vase, the Cloud table, the Flower coffee table and cushion, the Peanut cushion, the Sunny armchairs, the Poppy wood bar, the Bambi shelf, the Smile wall lamp, the Wavy dining table, the Seaweed lamp, the Bisou bench and stool, the Medusa lamp, and the Curtain Seaweed. A range of materials such as walnut, eucalyptus, oak, walnut, louro faia, poplar burl, veneered wood, Raku ceramicware, stucco-marble, glitter and plain resin, metal, dedar fabric, weingarten, epoxy, Van Gogh onyx, yarn, and seaweed were used to build these pieces. They embrace the materiality of these entities just as well as the form they are carved in.

Each piece in the collection—a combination of different materials and techniques—is like the chaotic nature of a wave, different in scale and shape. From the vast scale of the table to the delicate filigree of the chair struts, multiplied or rotated to produce the petals of the Flower tables, all moods of water find tangible expression in the Wave Collection. Experiments with the motif of "wave" have led to a series that resembles ripples more than a complete home collection. Each piece is an evolution of the one before it, a product of ongoing research into form, colour, and scale. To give physical form to these ideas, Uchronia worked with various experienced international craftsmen.

With Arles-based artist and craftsman Bruno Hugounenq, who builds furniture like Renaissance artworks and embellishes walls with wax as was done during the Roman Era, Uchronia built the multi-coloured stucco marble tables. “We met Bruno Hugounenq in Arles, in his workshop, seduced by the rich materiality of stucco marble and its many possibilities. The idea of diverting this very classic technique, redefining the colours and their combinations, of applying it to other, more contemporary forms, such as those of our tables was immediate. From our first visit and encounter with Bruno, a common understanding was apparent and our collaboration began. We have since developed a shared language of form, material and colour combinations,” says Julien Sebban.

Another collaborator, ceramist Fabienne L’Hostis, used the ancient craft of Raku to season furniture for the Wave Collection. “Fabienne manages to adapt her creations to the models we imagine, most often table tops or wall lights, continuously reinventing this age-old art. As raku is traditionally white or naturally coloured, some of our colour explorations have been particularly challenging for her. It’s incredible to work with an expert to push the boundaries and discover a new side to such an ancient craft,” the studio says about the artist who works in the space of contemporary decoration.

Sébastien Bevierre, a workshop in the Île-de-France region, helped Uchronia turn their vision for lighting to reality. “We wanted to recreate the light from the moon. The inside of the hammered bronze lamps made together looks like it could be the surface of a planet, or stone,” Sebban asserts about the appearance of the lamps achieved as a result of techniques developed by Crealum’in artisans. Craftsman David Roma’s eponymous atelier, known for painting, lacquering, and varnishing as well as restoring archaic objects, gave the unique sheen and shine to Uchronia’s tables. Jouffre's workshops and fabric manufacturer Prelle, on the other hand, crafted the collection’s upholstery.

Uchronia is a French design studio that dabbles in interior design, spatial design, furniture design, and architecture. Taking its name from the 19th-century portmanteau "uchronia", the creative practice experiments with divergent ideas outside classical frameworks. Headed by French architect Julien Sebban, the design collective—located on the 18th arrondissement of Paris— collaborates with young creatives from across the globe to imagine restaurants, public interiors, scenographies, and graphic identities. The practice’s experimentations across genres is physically manifested in their presentation at the studio’s gallery space in Paris, France. With the Wave Collection, the firm adds a new dimension to its platter of myriad creations.

Together, an amalgamation of colours, materials, scales, and transparencies– make up the Wave Collection—offering a window into an alternate, more colourful world. They serve as manifestations of a vision that can be manufactured with a more imaginative approach to design.