ClassiCon Debuts the Soft Stone Sofa by Gabriel Tan at Salone del Mobile Milano 2024 Marking a New Era of Modular Organic Design
The annual Salone del Mobile.Milano remains the global epicenter for high-end furniture design, and the 2024 edition served as the prestigious backdrop for Munich-based manufacturer ClassiCon to unveil its latest collaboration. The centerpiece of their exhibition was the Soft Stone Sofa, a modular seating system designed by the Singaporean, Porto-based designer Gabriel Tan. This debut represents the culmination of a five-year development process, bridging the gap between the rugged geometry of natural landscapes and the refined requirements of contemporary interior ergonomics. ClassiCon, a producer renowned for its stewardship of the Eileen Gray archives, continues its tradition of blending "classical" heritage with "contemporary" innovation, positioning the Soft Stone Sofa as a future icon within its curated portfolio.
The Genesis of the Soft Stone Concept
The inspiration for the Soft Stone Sofa did not originate in a traditional studio environment but rather in the public spaces of Porto, Portugal. During the global pandemic, Gabriel Tan found himself frequenting the Parque da Cidade, the city’s largest green space. While using the park as an outdoor office, Tan became fascinated by the large, interlocking terrace stones used to stabilize the park’s undulating terrain and frame its plazas. Despite being architectural elements intended for earth retention, these stones functioned as impromptu benches for the public—a naturally occurring modular seating system.
Tan’s observation of these "hard" stones serving a "soft" human purpose became the foundational paradox of the project. The designer sought to translate the monolithic, stacked aesthetic of these park stones into an interior furniture piece that offered the visual weight of geology with the physical comfort of high-end upholstery. This creative journey was further informed by the works of Japanese-American polymath Isamu Noguchi, whose sculptures often explored the tension between industrial precision and organic fluidity. By channeling these influences, Tan aimed to create a product that felt like a "found object" from nature, refined for the modern home.
Technical Engineering and Ergonomic Innovation
The five-year development timeline for the Soft Stone Sofa reflects the technical complexity required to achieve its deceptive simplicity. To maintain the metaphor of a monolithic stone, Tan and the ClassiCon engineering team made the radical decision to eliminate visible seamlines wherever possible. This required a sophisticated approach to fabric tensioning and upholstery, ensuring that the material could wrap around the complex, curved radii of the modules without bunching or revealing the underlying structure.
Beneath the fabric, the sofa utilizes a sophisticated multi-layering system to balance aesthetics with long-term durability. The internal architecture features:
- Nosag Springs: These heavy-duty, S-shaped steel springs provide the primary suspension, offering a resilient base that prevents sagging over years of use.
- Memory Foam Integration: Strategically placed layers of memory foam and high-resiliency polyurethane foam allow for a "sinking-in" sensation in the center of the seat, while maintaining a firm perimeter.
- Variable Density Support: One of the most distinctive functional features is the height and rigidity of the seat’s front edge. By making the front more rigid, the designers ensured that users can stand up with ease, addressing a common complaint regarding low-slung, "deep-chill" modular sofas that can be difficult to exit.
The result is a seating system that provides ergonomic support tailored to different human proportions, bolstered by accompanying head and back cushions that can be adjusted to the user’s preference.
A System of 11 Asymmetrical Components
Modularity is the core of the Soft Stone’s commercial appeal. The collection comprises 11 distinct, asymmetrical components, including various seat modules, backrests, and armrests. Unlike traditional modular sofas that rely on rigid, symmetrical blocks, the Soft Stone’s components feature subtle curvatures that allow them to be "stacked" or grouped in ways that mimic natural rock formations.
The system is held together by a combination of its own weight, precise geometry, and hidden strips of high-strength Velcro, allowing for easy reconfiguration. This flexibility extends to the aesthetic finish; customers are encouraged to mix and match different fabrics and colorways across the various modules. According to Tan, this allows the sofa’s profile to change dramatically depending on the viewer’s perspective, appearing as a unified monolith from one side and a multicolored, geological strata from another. This adaptability ensures the product’s longevity, as owners can add modules or change configurations as they move into different living spaces over time.
Gabriel Tan: A Cross-Cultural Design Perspective
The Soft Stone Sofa is also a testament to the rising influence of Gabriel Tan, whose career spans Singapore, New York, and Porto. Tan’s work is characterized by a "quiet" form of innovation—products that do not shout for attention but reveal their complexity through use. His move to Portugal has increasingly influenced his work, leading to a deeper exploration of traditional craftsmanship and natural materials.
By partnering with ClassiCon, Tan joins a roster of legendary designers. ClassiCon is perhaps most famous for its exclusive rights to produce the designs of Eileen Gray, one of the most influential architects and furniture designers of the 20th century. The company’s commitment to "meticulously refined products" means they release new designs sparingly, only when a concept demonstrates the potential to remain relevant for decades. The Soft Stone Sofa’s inclusion in this catalog suggests a high level of confidence in Tan’s ability to produce "instant classics."
The Context of Salone del Mobile 2024
The debut of the Soft Stone Sofa occurred during a transformative year for the Salone del Mobile. Following the disruptions of the early 2020s, the 2024 fair saw a renewed focus on "Biophilic Design"—the integration of natural forms and materials into the built environment to improve occupant well-being. The Soft Stone Sofa perfectly encapsulated this trend, offering a literal interpretation of nature brought indoors.
Market analysts at the fair noted a shift toward "Quiet Luxury" in furniture, where value is derived from the quality of construction and the thoughtfulness of the design rather than overt branding. ClassiCon’s presentation emphasized this, showcasing the Soft Stone alongside the 100th-anniversary reissue of Eileen Gray’s Bibendum Chair. By placing Tan’s new design in the same space as Gray’s century-old masterpiece, ClassiCon drew a direct line between the avant-garde of the 1920s and the modular innovations of the 2020s.
Broader Impact and Industry Implications
The introduction of the Soft Stone Sofa highlights several key shifts in the high-end furniture industry:
- The Blur Between Public and Private Inspiration: Tan’s use of park benches as a source for residential furniture reflects a broader trend where designers are looking to public infrastructure and urban landscapes to solve residential problems.
- The Demand for Customization: The 11-component system caters to a global clientele that increasingly demands "bespoke" configurations within a standardized product line.
- The Longevity Economy: By creating a modular system that can be expanded or reupholstered in sections, ClassiCon is appealing to environmentally conscious consumers who view furniture as a multi-decade investment rather than a disposable commodity.
As ClassiCon begins the global rollout of the Soft Stone Sofa through its international dealer network, the design world will be watching to see if this "soft" interpretation of "hard" stone will indeed achieve the iconic status of its predecessors. For now, the project stands as a successful example of how a five-year commitment to research and development can transform a simple observation in a public park into a sophisticated piece of functional art.
About the Producer and Designer
ClassiCon, headquartered in Munich, Germany, is a boutique producer that occupies a unique niche in the furniture market. It maintains a high standard of craftsmanship, often working with small-scale manufacturers who can meet the exacting tolerances required for designs like the Soft Stone.
Gabriel Tan continues to operate his multidisciplinary studio, Gabriel Tan Studio, which works across furniture, products, and creative direction. His ability to navigate different cultural contexts—Singaporean efficiency, Portuguese craft, and German manufacturing standards—has made him one of the most sought-after designers of his generation.
The Soft Stone Sofa is now available for specification in a wide range of textiles, including exclusive wools and velvets that enhance its "stony" appearance. Interested parties and interior architects can view the full range of configurations at ClassiCon’s flagship showrooms and authorized partners worldwide.
