The new Gomo collection by Hugo Passos for Danish furniture pioneer Fredericia reimagines staid seating typology with characterful curves
Upholstered, swivel-base chairs are a ubiquitous furniture item, yet Portuguese-born, Copenhagen- based designer Hugo Passos, in collaboration with Danish design brand Fredericia, has managed to completely reimagine the iconic item with his Gomo collection.
The idea for Gomo came from a conversation between Passos and Thomas Graversen, the owner of Fredericia, who have a longstanding relationship built on almost a decade of collaboration. Graversen was musing that the brand was missing a fully upholstered low swivel chair, and asked Passos who he should approach to reimagine it for them.
“He thought I wouldn’t be interested, as my work for Fredericia has previously been quite linear,” recalls Passos. “So, it became a challenge for me. I had an instinct to give the chair an unexpected gesture and character with a curved backrest.”
The resulting collection – which includes the low swivel chair that was its catalyst as well as a sofa that celebrates the same language – is a symphony of curved lines that embrace the body and create an instantly identifiable silhouette that works in a diverse array of settings.
It was launched during Copenhagen’s 3daysofdesign festival, and received such an overwhelming response that there is already talk of expanding the collection to include more typologies and scales. “Shaping the Gomo collection was a departure for me, as I’ve never done anything so sculptural before,” says Passos. “We spent a lot of time working on the transitions between the curves and translating them into an actual product.”
As to working with Fredericia, Passos explains: “It was very intimate – we exchange ideas, sketches and possibilities on a regular basis, as well as thoughts on what to tackle. It was a distinct game of ping pong.”
The curves of the Gomo collection not only imbue it with its distinctive character, but also mean the pieces are produced with less material. Adding to its green credentials, the frames are made using FSC-certified timber and there is
no glue used in the construction. “This was one of the biggest challenges,” says Passos. “The Fredericia upholstery team was amazing, though, and we didn’t have to change the shape of the concept for production.”
Another challenge was the free-swivelling base of the chair – a small but important point of difference from most swivel-base chairs on the market, which feature a return mechanism that pulls the chair back to a central position. The unrestricted, 360-degree movement of the Gomo chair completely transforms the sitting experience, allowing users to orient themselves in a group for social interactions or turn the chair to face a different direction for privacy with absolute ease. According to Passos, “It’s also a lot of fun. When we launched the chair, everyone was spinning around like crazy.”
With its combination of high functionality and seductive curves, the Gomo collection successfully bridges the gap between residential environments and more commercial settings – and is destined to be found everywhere from homes, restaurants, galleries and hotel lobbies to the workplace. While it might be seen as a timely response to the increasingly flexible way we inhabit these spaces, Passos explains that the design that eventually evolved is less a reaction to current trends than a desire to create a product with true longevity.
“We are trying to make products that really last,” he says. “We don’t want to create something that will disappear over the coming years, as that would be a waste of all our work. Instead, we have created a versatile product with excellent performance and strong relatability. I can’t wait to see it being used in many different scenarios.”
Images by Peter Vinther
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