Sofia
by Patrick JouinSofia
Comfort takes on a new direction.
Sofia is the outdoor armchair designed by Patrick Jouin for Ethimo, reinterpreting the director’s chair through a softer, more contemporary language. A design where structure and comfort find a new balance, resulting in an inviting, essential, and refined seat.
The X-shaped structure, the original principle of the folding chair, is reinterpreted into a more continuous and fluid form, where glossy or matte teak, crafted as a solid material, defines rounded lines and a warm, natural presence. The armrests create a distinctive signature, while the rear leg follows the inclination of the backrest, making the logic of comfort visible. The lightly padded fabric gently embraces the body, completing a seat that combines lightness and solidity, tradition and contemporaneity, in a harmonious balance of form and function.
Patrick Jouin
Patrick Jouin is a French designer born in Nantes in 1967 and trained at ENSCI–Les Ateliers in Paris. After early collaborations with Philippe Starck, he founded his own studio in 1998, initiating international projects, including with Alain Ducasse on major restaurant designs. His work moves between industrial design and decorative arts, combining technological innovation with formal research. Creations such as the Solid series, a pioneer in the use of 3D printing, are part of major institutional collections including MoMA. In 2009, the Centre Pompidou dedicated a monograph to his work, and in 2011 he received the Compasso d’Oro ADI for the Pasta Pot.
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