The Architect, the Engineer and the Italian Maestro

It took an architect and an engineering firm to pull off Patrizia Moroso’s latest furniture coup. But an elaborate level of involvement has been the Italian furniture maker’s signature since Patrizia took over as artistic director of her family’s business, Moroso, 30 years ago.

Moroso has pursued some of the most interesting talents of our era as collaborators, most recently teaming with Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind, whose debut Gemma seating collection is now available to order in the U.S. The elements are straightforward — an armchair and sofa sized for residential use and a pared-down sofa system for public spaces. The asymmetrical shapes derive from Libeskind’s love of complex, culturally layered architecture. Inspired by the multifaceted surface of crystals (a longtime Libeskind muse), Gemma’s mathematically rigorous steel frames (realized by Italy-based Feruglio Engineering) come in an ombré-effect knitted fabric or solid-color leather upholstery.

And, when Libeskind is involved, expect a little poetry. The collection is a refined version of an earlier artistic effort in wood (later, concrete) that Libeskind created in 2014 for the performance piece Counting Rice by a friend, artist Marina Abramovic. The performance was staged for the 2014 Salone in Milan and later that year at Miami Art Basel. Armchair $2,850 – $5,280, sofa $6,100 – $10,000; special order through Scott + Cooner, 1617 Hi Line Dr. #100, 214.748.9838.