koop

The Koop chair is the new armchair designed by Karim Rashid in collaboration with the old and prestigious Finnish design brand Martela. The ovoid shape of the outer structure forms a kind of embracing shell that contains the soft upholstered seat. The simple curve defined by the glossy surface symbolically marks the border between private and public space, making the place of relax, with spare gestures, so intimate and shielded from intrusions. In fact, the particular design of the Koop chair makes it possible for the person seated inside it to hide almost completely within the shell, creating an amusing play of not seeing, and not being seen. As Rashid himself puts it: “I have wanted to create the Koop chair as an organic space not unlike a womb. The soft line of the structure comes to form a cradle in which one perceives a sense of serenity, privacy and peace. The egg-shaped seat symbolically represents purity, perfection, minimalism and holism”.
The seat, which is currently in the prototype stage, was presented to the press in a very vivacious version that exalts its futuristic appearance, with the soft quilted interior in bubblegum red, in stark contrast to the glossy blue of the outer body in plastic.

Karim Rashid is one of the most prolific designers of his generation. Over 3000 designs in production, over 300 awards and working in over 35 countries attest to Karim’s legend of design. His award winning designs include democratic objects such as the ubiquitous Garbo waste can and Oh Chair for Umbra, interiors such as the Morimoto restaurant, Philadelphia and Semiramis hotel, Athens. Karim collaborated with clients to create democratic design for Method and Dirt Devil, furniture for Artemide and Magis, brand identity for Citibank and Hyundai, high tech products for LaCie and Samsung, and luxury goods for Veuve Clicquot and Swarovski, to name a few. Karim’s work is featured in 20 permanent collections and he exhibits art in galleries world wide.