A variegated landscape of comfort that mingles function and playfulness

Life is an increasingly fluid landscape, with ever less space for crystalized and fixed solutions and thoughts. It is no surprise that what we most like is the mingling of opposites, the ability to draw inspiration from something and its direct opposite. It is in this exquisitely contemporary way that the Taba collection by Alfredo Häberli for Moroso combines the two aspirations of the Swiss-Argentine designer: on the one hand a rational approach (attentive to ergonomics and functions) and, on the other, a playful and poetic vein.

Taba is the name for a traditional rural game played by the campesinos with the anklebone of a cow. The shapes in the collection are inspired by these bones:  straight lines and organic forms combine to create eight types of seats. A sofa, two armchairs (with fixed or swivel seats) and five ottomans. The shaping of the elements makes it possible to create a varied landscape of comfort, individual or collective, both in the home and in public areas (also thanks to the optional equipment of a power-unit for the sofas).

“Taba is a visually free interpretation of comfortable ergonomics,” explains the designer, who makes the layering of different organic lines and the softness of asymmetric forms the essence of his design philosophy. Each element, due to its form that harmonizes curves and planes, allows for a variety of seating styles and multiple uses. The horizontal surfaces simultaneously act as occasional supports, rest surfaces or work spaces. Interaction is the key word: “When designing sofas and seats,” concludes  Häberli, “interaction between people has to be the primary focus. That’s why I play on precision of lines and poetically organic forms.”

At a glance

What is it?
A family of padded seats made up of eight pieces: a sofa (fitted with a power unit), two armchairs (which can be equipped with a swivel mechanism) and five ottomans. The collection is suitable for both public areas and home interiors thanks to the variety of uses and configurations.
What is the design concept?
The products are designed to be multifunctional while fostering interactions between people. The asymmetrical forms and layering of different lines and levels ensure ergonomic versatility, making for a varied range of seating and possible uses.
How is it made?
The armchairs are produced by injection molding, in fire retardant cold-foamed polyurethane with an internal steel frame. The sofa and the ottomans have an internal wooden structure covered with differentiated density foam. The fixed upholstery is in textiles, from the most traditional in wool to the most technologically innovative, elastic or nuanced.
How is it produced and where?
Taba, like all the products in the Moroso range (with the exception of the M’Afrique collection), is produced in Italy, in the province of Udine where the company was founded and still has its headquarters today.
How is it manufactured?
The sculptural forms are the result of a perfect mix of industrial processes (in the structure of the frame by injection molding) and craftsmanship, with almost haute couture tailoring in the upholstery, where the stitching has to follow extremely irregular lines to faithfully express the designer’s concept.
What makes it special?
The multifunctionality and multiplicity of possible configurations. The asymmetry of the lines ensures a variety of seating positions. The fact that they are equipped with power units makes the seats particularly suitable for public spaces such as airports or hotel or office lobbies.
What is it like?
Organic, multifunctional, playful
How does the designer describe it?
“The game I was interested in playing with Taba was the entwining of form with poetry, the linear with the elusive. I make space for the irrational, enabling the collection to fulfill many of the opportunities offered by everyday life. In a firm like Moroso, I find it easy to cultivate an idea that escapes from the rule.”