Traditional?

Flipping through the April issue of Dwell Magazine, I came upon something in the furniture section that really piqued my interest. Typically the uber modern furniture featured in this section is not to my taste, and I tend to prefer looking through the sections of the magazine that feature modern architecture and renovation projects--but this month was different.

The Alumette Sofa by Atelier Oi for Rothlisberger Kollektion is extremely an extremely modern piece sofa with a stick-like construction. Made from arura vermelho, an extremely hard wood cultivated in the Amazon, something about this sofa struck me, and I couldn't figure out what it was that made me love it soo much. 

Upon visiting roethlisberger.ch, I found that the collection also included arm chairs, which I liked even more. I love the color of the wood, and the almost haphazard quality of the construction. But again, why did I love this so much? Typically not my style ...

The collection also includes a table and chairs, which I came upon at the end of my web surfing, and I realized what it was about this extremely modern furniture collection that appealed to me. 

 
House Beautiful

Look at the bamboo chair and table set from House Beautiful that I posted yesterday. Warm tortoise bamboo tones and the stick-like construction of this table and chairs make it an ideal combination in a room with "heavier" furniture ... such as upholstered furniture or the grounded seagrass furniture pictured here. 

Ballard Designs

Look at the similar characteristics of the Alumette collection and the traditional bamboo furniture. Both types of furniture have a "constructed" quality ... you can see all of the engineering behind the pieces, both have that warm tone, and both are a great addition to a room with heavier pieces to create variety and "lightness." 

                    

House Beautiful

  

You all may think I am crazy, but I really do see the similarities in the construction of these two very different styles of furniture. Now I am not about to completely change my design aesthetic and go completely modern, but I think that in a traditional living room setting, the Allumette chairs might be just the right dash of modernism. Like postmodern architecture, which draws inspiration from the past and interprets it in an ironic way, the Alumette Collection seems to draw from the past and interpret it with a sense of humor.

 

Unfortunately, Lacquered Lifers, this collection is not being given away. To add insult to injury the price is very high, and its in euros! I didn't even bother to do the calculation. So file this post away into your folder entitled "future" and when you have the money you can add this touch of postmodernism to your decor. 

photos courtesy of roethlisberger.ch