ClassiCon debuts the Soft Stone Sofa by Gabriel Tan

Known for holding the reproduction rights to numerous Eileen Gray designs, ClassiCon is exactly that: classical and contemporary. The boutique producer prides itself on preserving yet also ensuring the relevance of emblematic works from the past. It also, slowly but surely, introduces new meticulously refined products positioned to also become distinctive icons with time. At this year’s Salone del Mobile.Milano, the Munich-based producer debuted the new Soft Stone Sofa by Porto-based, Singaporean designer Gabriel Tan, a new stacked-stone seating concept five years in the making.

Though somewhat expressive in its composition, the nascent design distills from the purity of natural form; an unexpected source of inspiration: the stacked terrace stones often found in old parks. In this case, it’s the expansive Parque da Cidade, in Tan’s adoptive Porto. These elements might have first been implemented to hold back undulating earth and frame flat ground plazas but are almost always used as impromptu benches.

“I went to the park a lot during the pandemic and basically used it as my office, sitting on the interlocking stones and sketching new ideas,” says Tan. “I wanted to develop a modular sofa and realized I was sitting on one. The idea was right underneath me. I just needed to figure out how to make it ergonomic, logical, and rational.” Japanese American polymath Isamu Noguchi’s hard yet somehow soft sculptures became another important source of inspiration in this respect.

Soft Stone Sofa is as a much a study in aesthetics as it is function. The latter is achieved, beneath the surface, through subtle variations in its upholstery. A strategic interplay of Nosag springs and memory foam ensures that there’s firmness where needed and more of a ‘sinking-in’ feeling elsewhere. The especially tall seat is more rigid toward its front so that users can easily get up. The radius of its curved edges was carefully determined. To not burry the lead of the design’s main reference, seamlines were removed. “It enhances the metaphor of monolithic stone,” Tan adds. Accompanying head and back cushions—offering additional support—account for different human proportions.

Choice is another key attribute. Customers can mix and match 11 asymmetrical components seat, back rest, and arm modules. “They can even opt to have the various elements wrapped in various fabric and colorways,” Tan describes. “The sofa’s profile can appear completely different from left and right perspective,” The subtle curvature of each component, as well as hidden strips of Velcro keeps everything together. A custom configuration can be added on to over time, which, along with the quality of its construction, accounts for the product’s longevity. Soft Stone will perhaps carry the same clout as Gray’s Bibendum chair overtime. The classic design was reissued this year to commemorate its 100th anniversary.

To learn more, visit classicon.com.

Photography by Inês Silva Sá.

Adrian Madlener is a Brussels-born, New York-based writer specializing in collectible and sustainable design. With a particular focus on topics that exemplify the best in craft-led experimentation, he’s committed to supporting talents that push the envelope in various disciplines.