The Polish architect, founder of Massive Design, talks about the chair inspired by the moon he designed for Tonon

The shell of the Moon chair by Mac Stopa for Tonon.

Moon was born from the collaboration between the historic brand created in Friuli in the 1920s, one of the most established brands in the sector of chairs and tables, and the award-winning designer and architect born in Warsaw, founder of the Massive Design who, in his career, has always combined a passion for geometry with that for sculptural forms and art digital.

Upholstered in leather or fabric, the Moon seat has a integral foam structure, a material that remains flexible over time and adapts to the shape of the body and can be completed with four different bases. To find out more, we reach Mac Stopa in Florida, where he has lived for years.

Mac Stopa, where does the fascination for organic lines, in this case cosmic, come from?

As a student, I was always interested in science fiction books and movies. I am also fascinated by the beauty of nature and the organic forms it creates. My inspiration is therefore largely a combination of science fiction, fantasy and biomimicry, the discipline that studies and imitates the biological and biomechanical processes of nature and living beings.

The Moon collection seems to move away from the more unscrupulous paths it had accustomed us to: is this the beginning of a new phase?

Moon was designed with ergonomics, comfort, simplicity in mind, and easy adaptation to the different expectations of the end user. Its shape is organic and sculptural, there was no need to increase its importance with a three-dimensional model.

With metal, wooden, sled or swivel legs: the Moon chair is always perfect. Has versatility become a watchword of contemporary design?

During the design process I often analyze the theme of versatility: in some projects of my tables, large armchairs or low stools I look for modularity. In the case of a chair project like the Moon, however, a good solution is to provide the future user with the possibility of choosing the base that best suits his needs. Many projects carried out with Tonon Italia in the past years offer this opportunity. Today it is a frequent standard in the industry.

From your point of view, is sustainability a limit or an opportunity for the creative process?

I came to the conclusion that one of the most important elements in the design process today is attention to the environment. Sustainability does not limit the design vision in any way, on the contrary, it leads to the identification of new opportunities because the creative process often begins with an analysis of the existing technology for production. And architects and designers have more and more opportunities, while respecting sustainability, to influence production technology, also by participating in ecological research and experimentation. For this reason, together with the Tonon team, we have created versions of the Moon in ecological fabric, produced with yarns obtained from recycled material. Creativity and sustainability must go hand in hand. But we are still in the very early stage of sustainability, there are so many things to learn and discover.