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Sculptural and artistic furniture designs created for the interiors of an Art Deco building.
Located in Brussels, near the city’s Central Station, the Shell building dates back to the 1930s. The Art Deco-style building now houses Spark’s modern meeting spaces. Cobra Studios redesigned the interiors and also created custom pieces of furniture that contrast the original design and decorative style. The Belgian creative studio wanted to bring a whole new world to life within the walls of the Shell building, using an almost futuristic design approach to complete the project. Working with a limited budget, the team found ingenious solutions to infuse the meeting spaces with a distinctive Cobra Studios style. At the same time, the studio created idiosyncratic pieces of furniture that still give a nod to the character of the Art Deco architecture.
For example, materials found originally in the building appear alongside modern finishes. Travertine, marble and concrete complement resin, latex, foam, stainless steel and aluminum. Velvet and clay give a rich tactility to the designs. Fun as well as charismatic, the furniture pieces double as sculptural works of art. The furniture comprises tables, chairs and sofas. Cobra Studios also designed lamps and curtains for the Spark co-working spaces. Designs from the studio’s previous collection complement the new furniture.
The new designs feature a combination of vibrant colors, tactile surfaces with contrasting textures, and simple geometric shapes. The studio used a wide range of recycled and reclaimed materials for the interiors, including left-over resin. The team also collaborated with artisans across Europe to craft different objects. For example, the pots come from La Bottega di Giuseppe Indino, a ceramics workshop in Puglia, Italy; the steel arches are made by a ship builder; and the restrooms feature designs created in collaboration with Paris-based Trone. Photography © Tijs Vervecken, Mathijs-Labadie. Images courtesy of Cobra Studios.
