Gubi → Layering with 2021 Novelties

Where wide-eyed curiosity leads to new ideas. Where courage is part of the DNA. Where creative vision meets precise curation. Forgotten icons of the past brought together with tomorrow’s classics.
Curiosity, courage, and creativity – GUBI is here to do things differently for the life you live.

As you may already be aware, Ultimate Gray (17-5104) and a shade of yellow called Illuminating (13-0647) are Pantone’s top color picks for 2021 – described by the color experts as ‘conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting.’

In a year that promises to be about regeneration and reinvention, this marriage of color is just what our interiors need as we move into 2021.

GUBI presented the iconic Semi Pendant by Torsten Thorup and Claus Bonderup in a new 90-centimeter diameter variant. The new Semi Pendant Ø90 emphasizes the dramatic increase in the shade’s gauge – its striking curves expanding effortlessly from the vertical line of the wire to the suggested infinite horizon of the shade.

The most comfy edition of lounge chairs were Croissant Sofa and Lounge Chair, by midcentury Danish architect and designer Illum Wikkelsø. The Croissant collection represent an elegant and playful take on the traditional typology of the Chesterfield sofa and club chair.
Wikkelsø believed that a chair was not just for sitting upright, but that it should be comfortable no matter the angle at which you sit – or even lie down. He redefined these classic pieces for a more relaxed audience emerging in the optimism of the 1960s.
The characteristic ‘croissant’ form – named for its playful reference to the iconic French breakfast pastry – is created with meticulously hand-stitched flat piping in the fabric version and leather piping in the leather version to achieve the complex curves required.

Originally designed for his own home and for meditation, the MR01 Initial Chair by woodworker Mathias Steen Rasmussen, is a lounge chair that unites traditional craftsmanship with original ideas in a simple form that is at once familiar and yet strikingly modern.

“Mathias’ prototypes immediately captured my attention. I was hugely impressed with the high level of execution and aesthetics from such a young and untested designer. He has a rare knowledge of wood and natural materials and it was a privilege to work with him to put his first piece into production.”Jacob Gubi

The Grace Chair by Danish architect and designer Tove Kindt-Larsen (1906-1994) is an elegant take on an informal typology new to the GUBI Collection – the rattan lounge chair. Bringing to life a design never before put into production, GUBI has worked closely with Tove Kindt-Larsen’s family to develop the piece from a conceptual sketch she drew in 1936, which was recently discovered in an archived folder of her jewelry designs.
Inspired by the soft curves and materiality found in nature, the Grace Chair is a compilation of curves. Woven by hand from the natural material by Indonesian craftspeople, it comprises a circular seat atop a slightly larger, offset, circular base, with an embracing backrest populated with long loops of rattan.

Another interesting design was the Gräshoppa Floor Lamp, one of the most well known designs by Greta Magnusson Grossman (1906–1999). With a tubular steel tripod base on a backward diagonal slant, its unmistakable silhouette gives the impression of a grasshopper clinging to a blade of grass.
The powder-coated steel enables a range of 10 colors, from the classic and timeless Black and White to a mid-century inspired palette of Andorra Red, Anthracite Gray, Aspen Yellow, Dusty Blue, Oyster White, Warm Gray, Vintage Red – and now Olive Brown – all of which work equally well in combination with furniture from the era, or as part of modern-day interior schemes.

Named after the epic poems of ancient times, GamFratesi’s Epic Table is a sculptural piece of furniture inspired by Greek columns and Roman architecture. Originally made in Italy from travertine stone, the table’s new edition marks the first time GamFratesi has worked with steel plates, which are galvanized, lacquered, and then treated with a series of hand-finishing processes to create a unique surface expression for each table.
The Epic Table combines two simple geometric shapes, the circle and the hexagon, with references to the classical Greek column. The hexagonal column is an intelligent solution that enables a substantial expression to be efficiently constructed from minimal materials – and this new expression showcases and enhances the steel from which it is made, while maintaining that simplicity in its laser-cut, welded forms.

In designing the Violin Chair, GamFratesi set out to distil the archetypal form of a chair into its purest representation. The Violin Chair epitomizes GamFratesi’s craftsmanship, creativity, and material understanding, with enough poetry to make the piece feel fresh, light and contemporary.

“The Violin Chair references the timeless archetypal form of the dining chair but is constructed with a characterful contemporary expression. Combining functionality, lightness and comfort, its strong identity goes hand in hand with superior craftsmanship.”
Jacob Gubi

The new Outdoor Collection maintains the distinguishing elegant lines of the Beetle and Bat, now combined with the informality and lightness of the outdoors.
The plastic editions of two of GUBI’s most popular dining chairs, the Beetle and the Bat, have been reimagined for outdoor use. Special additives in the molded polypropylene shell help to prevent the color from fading due to weather damage, making two already versatile chairs even more dynamic for both indoor and outdoor use.

The iconic GUBI 3D shell is now made using recycled plastic and treated for UV expo- sure and the steel base is powder coated, both of which make it perfect for an outdoor setting. Keep it inside or take it out – it is flexible enough for all-round use.

After all, there is something truly magical about taking a step back and allowing yourself to become fully present in each moment.