Several experts claim organic shapes, specifically curves, will be a top design trend in 2022.
There is already considerable research on the way our brain perceives curved items and the comfort we derive from them, hence the term ‘comforting curves’. If that is true, then our review of Studio TK could not have come at a better time.
This latest addition to the brand’s social application focused range of furniture is a well rounded and stylish chair created by designer Khodi Feiz. Offered through a partnership with Dutch firm Artifort, the Beso collection aims to be a complete and comprehensive range of seating solutions for new, more social work landscapes.
The Review Crew
Above from left: Firas Alsahin, Co-founder, 4space Design; Rakan Jandali, Associate, KCA International; Khodi Feiz, Founder, Feiz Design Studio
Bold Yet Uncomplicated
Artifort, a nearly 130-year Dutch design brand, is no stranger to making iconic pieces. The brand and its associated designers have been pushing design boundaries since the 1960s; they have designed pieces that became archetypes for generations of furniture collections later on. The Beso collection is one of them.
“I believe Beso is a very interesting program and product development idea,” says Khodi. “The goal of the program was to not just do one chair and then a barstool the next year, but really look at it as a complete collection. It started with the idea that Artifort is artsy and very good in upholstery, with the stitching and craftsmanship, but we also needed to do something that was commercially viable. That’s how the Beso collection started.”
The design typology is meant to be as simple as possible with strong features that aren’t overly expressive. “ I didn’t want the design to dominate the space,” he says. “I want each piece to have its own presence, yet not overwhelm other elements in the room, rather work with each other.”
Beso works in more ways than you think possible. It’s available in multiple configurations, fabrics, and base finishes. Yet, it remains true to its core design theme. Even more importantly, Artiforts design goals translate well into Studio TK’s for great social and collaborative spaces. There is a nice harmony in the collection. “Several clients and designers I know prefer working with just one collection, instead of picking and choosing from different ones,” Khodi explains. “They prefer one signature design over multiple, and with Beso this is possible because we offer choice yet uniformity.”
Rakan: I love it. It’s so beautiful and sleek. The colour ranges are amazing and quite comfortable. Khodi’s done a really great job, especially with those attractive proportions. I think it could work for many different purposes– commercial and F&B as well. We designers like to play with colours and finishes and materials, and the range of options that we saw today with the fabrics gives us so much design inspiration.
I’m usually not a big fan of stools, maybe it’s my back issues, but this one seems to enhance your posture. The angles and height are just right, and it’s really hard to find chairs and barstools that are comfortable.
Firas: It looks great aesthetically. As we discussed with Khodi today, it sports a timeless design and is well suited even for hospitality along with corporate, retail, and residential projects. There is a lot of attention given to detail that I appreciate, like the gap in the back of the chair, the stitching, and the fabrics. Overall, it’s flexible and sophisticated, and works well for me.
The minute you sit on the lounge chair, it hugs you. That’s amazing because from a distance it doesn’t look very comfortable. The design is so right – the feel, aesthetics, the armrest – giving this wonderful sense of comfort and support.
Flexible And Friendly
With Beso, designers and end-users have more control over the finishing. With five types of chairs and multiple base styles and finishes, one can create a number of combinations with the leg bases, finishes, and fabrics, offering designers a variety of choices. Whether it’s a pink bar stool and a blue leg or something more conventional, it’s most likely available here. Studio TK allows for that experimentation and customisation. “In fact, we encourage it!” says Khodi.
“As an industrial designer, as compared to a furniture designer, you think a bit differently,” he explains. “So I really wanted to define a program that offers solutions for a nice living room, a school cafeteria, or similar hospitality or reception areas. And I thought that if we can offer more choices for designers, the better it is for the program because then it can be tailored to your needs and how you want to express your design. That was the intention behind Beso.”
When thinking about the collection as a whole, Khodie focused on aspects, such as longevity, durability, and range, not just aesthetics. Beso’s design naturally allows it to be suited to a large array of applications and comes with sophistication and simplicity rarely found in other collections.
Flexible And Friendly
With Beso, designers and end-users have more control over the finishing. With five types of chairs and multiple base styles and finishes, one can create a number of combinations with the leg bases, finishes, and fabrics, offering designers a variety of choices. Whether it’s a pink bar stool and a blue leg or something more conventional, it’s most likely available here. Studio TK allows for that experimentation and customisation. “In fact, we encourage it!” says Khodi.
“As an industrial designer, as compared to a furniture designer, you think a bit differently,” he explains. “So I really wanted to define a program that offers solutions for a nice living room, a school cafeteria, or similar hospitality or reception areas. And I thought that if we can offer more choices for designers, the better it is for the program because then it can be tailored to your needs and how you want to express your design. That was the intention behind Beso.”
When thinking about the collection as a whole, Khodie focused on aspects, such as longevity, durability, and range, not just aesthetics. Beso’s design naturally allows it to be suited to a large array of applications and comes with sophistication and simplicity rarely found in other collections.
Final Thoughts
Studio TK and Artifort’s partnership has resulted in a simple yet wonderfully flexible seating collection that’s got the class and range to fit most projects. Its price point is well suited to most commercial projects, and to the designers’ delight, comes with a massive range of finishes and customisations within one collection, making their work so much easier and fun.
Rakan: The attention to detail is very impressive. The stitching and finishing is amazing. The gap and the stitching detail are simple yet so important, from both an aesthetic and functional point of view. For F&B projects, fabrics that don’t collect dirt and dust are imperative. The design is contemporary but suits most projects. I see this being used in many more spaces to come as it will age well.
This collection also gives us an opportunity to have it in one or more shades or different shades of one colour. So you have the option to mix and match as you please. This is something I really like considering how useful it could potentially be. I’m also a big fan of the shape and curves, it’s all molded from one element – very organic and almost parametric. I love their approach to design. From a sustainability perspective, I found it interesting that we can reuse some of the fabrics or even the metal. Most of our hospitality projects require some sort of sustainable certification or delivery method. So this ticks a lot of boxes. It’s such a great collection!
Firas: The design versatility is amazing. I especially love the timber base finish – it’s got an edgy feel and can be used in both classical or contemporary projects, as a special piece. The fact you can match the base and fabrics is very useful, allowing you to unify the design in a room and keep it smart and consistent. Kudos to Khodi for doing that.
I like how it’s so easy to customise the fabrics as well to have different textures or different tones. One suggestion would be to work on the barstool legs, as currently they feel a little tight. But besides that, everything is amazing! We’ve already spoken about the sustainability aspect of this – it works in several regards. But the finishing is what really sticks with me – the stitching, the metal bases, the timber finishes, it all looks so rich and sophisticated. This collection works well on so many levels.
