area 115+ | relax

architect: Doshi Levien

year: 2008

After having presented the famous Charpoy collection, a contemporary version of the Indian day bed, Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien continue their collaboration with Moroso by presenting “Principessa” in 2008. This is an evolution based on the same theme, consisting of many stacked mattresses, with fantasy fabrics and various finishing details, fruit of the contamination between the Indian culture and the European one. The fabric of the mattress on top, designed by Nipa Doshi, is in silk jacquard and features a graphic decoration of objects embroidered in gold and silver. The two designers, inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale “The princess on the pea”, have imagined a bed for a contemporary princess who is getting ready to go out, and who arranges a series of objects helter-skelter on the bed:  a hairdryer, an umbrella, a necklace, sunglasses and a cocktail glass. The Principessa model has base and feet in solid beech with glossy black RAL 9005 varnish, on which the mattresses – from a minimum of six to a maximum of eleven – are stacked; they have non-removable covers and borders in different  colours.

**Doshi Levien** is a London based design office led by Jonathan Levien and Nipa Doshi, established in 2000. Doshi Levien’s work celebrates the hybrid and explores the coming
together of cultures, technology, story telling, industrial design and fine craftsmanship. Nipa’s refined and astute visual direction is combined with Jonathan’s precision and tenacity as an industrial designer. Doshi Levien work across disciplines and industries, they make their own rules that are based on extracting as much richness as possible out of an experience or idea. The studio gives expert advice to global brands on cultural and social insights, leading to design opportunities for the emerging economies. Doshi Levien work internationally for a broad range of clients who are leaders in their field, including Intel, Swarovski, Nokia, Authentics and Moroso.