Soft Touch

  • Styling and Set Design Pernille Vest & Henriette Schou

An exploration of color and texture, in partnership with Fritz Hansen.

  • Styling and Set Design Pernille Vest & Henriette Schou

Synesthesia is most commonly understood in relation to music: for a small minority of people, certain notes and melodies are experienced as an explosion of color.

But this neurological phenomena, in which one sense triggers the receptors of another, can be experienced in relation to any two senses. In rare cases, it can even be triggered by touch. Tactile-emotional synesthesia was first documented in 2008 by scientists at the University of California, who reported on the cases of two women who felt consistent, intense emotional reactions to several different textures: one experienced silk as perfect happiness, while the other felt a sense of safety when touching sand.

For all of us, synesthetes or not, the way things feel can dramatically alter the way we experience them. In the latest in our series of collaborations with Fritz Hansen, we’ve been exploring the subtle effects of texture with the iconic Series 7 chair. First created by Arne Jacobsen, the chair has recently been released in a new series of upholstered designs utilizing the colorways that curator Carla Sozzani designed for Fritz Hansen last year. Every element of the chair—its texture, color and base—can be individually configured, creating a sensory medley that will certainly trigger the sense receptors of those who sit on it.

This post was produced in partnership with Fritz Hansen.

The Series 7 chair with a Paradise Orange shell, upholstered in Steelcut Trio 3 0636.

The chair, pictured here with the Light Beige shell and Light Grey Essential Leather upholstery.

A sunny desk setup, with the Series 7 chair upholstered in Remix 2, 422 fabric on the True Yellow shell.

The Evergreen shell upholstered in Sunniva 3, 132.

Each aspect of the Series 7 chair can be customized.

The Series 7 chair has been in constant production since Arne Jacobsen designed it in 1955.

ISSUE 54

Take a look inside.

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