Cologne 2011: French design brand Ligne Roset have launched a sponge-like sofa by designers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec at the imm cologne fair in Germany this week.

Ploum is upholstered in just two pieces of stretchy, foam-backed fabric and is described by the brothers as "like a ripe, voluptuous piece of fruit".

The sofa comes in three- and four-seater versions.

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Here's some text from Ligne Roset:

"We attempted to make a very comfortable contemporary settee. Ploum is a vast shape on which the whole body rests on a soft, welcoming surface. Its seat is relatively low, it seems organic. Perhaps the use of a stretchy fabric is like a symbolic parallel to a contemporary lifestyle, in which flexibility of use and comfort seem to us to be essential. We pictured it like a ripe, voluptuous piece of fruit."

Such was the intention of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, who wanted to give special consideration to those special moments during the day when we each want to relax and perhaps catch up with the other members of the household. It is therefore important that the greatest comfort afforded by the settee is the one which enables the body to relax in any position, from sitting to lying. The 4-seat settee also offers, in a very specific manner, a croissant-shape which tends to turn people towards each other around a common centre.

The Ploum settees are the fruit of a great deal of research into comfort, leading to a specific combination of two materials, used jointly: a stretchy covering fabric and an ultra-flexible foam. The combination of these two materials, when associated with the real dimensional generosity of the Ploum settees, offers an extreme level of comfort whilst offering the body the chance to adopt a number of possible postures.

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, both born in Quimper, studied at the Ecole nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs, Paris and the Ecole nationale supérieure d’arts de Cergy-Pointoise respectively. Ronan (born 1971) and Erwan (born 1976) came together in 1999 to carry out their work within a framework of permanent dialogue and a shared requirement for greater precision and delicacy.

Today, their works are produced by Vitra, Magis, Alessi, Established & Sons, Axor Hansgrohe, Kartell, Kvadrat, Cappellini, Camper, la Galerie kreo and Ligne Roset (Outdoor folding chair – 2001, Facett seating – 2005, distribution of Clouds decorative modules in Kvadrat – 2009). Their works can be found in the collections of institutions such as the musée national d’Art moderne, the centre Georges Pompidou, the musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Chicago Art Institute, the Design Museum London, or even the Boijmans van Beuningen museum, Rotterdam. In autumn 2011, the Centre Pompidou Metz will stage the first great retrospective of the work of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec in France.

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec seek to make objects which are singular, elegant and sensual of form, and sustainable and adaptable in terms of function.They seem to have a predilection for certain themes: concepts such as elements which may combine to facilitate multiple use (Axor Bouroullec bathroom collection 2010) and half-closed spaces which serve to (re)define the concept of space (Lit Clos bed, 2000; la Cabane, 2001; Alcôve armchairs, 2007; North Tiles and Clouds textile tiles) are all part and parcel of their desire to preserve intimacy by structuring space.

The Ploum settees are the fruit of much research into comfort which led them to combine two specific materials: a stretchy covering fabric and an ultra-flexible foam.The combination of these two materials, when associated with the real dimensional generosity of the Ploum settees, offers an extremely high level of comfort whilst giving the body the chance to adopt a number of possible postures.

In effect, the quilted fabric employed, which in fact comprises a thick layer of polyester quilting sandwiched between two superimposed woven layers and held in place by points of stitching, offers a warm and comfortable visual aspect and a soft feel. Furthermore, its elasticity enables it to cover the continuous curve of the seats, high backs and arms in one single piece of fabric: a rhythmic repetition of points of stitching is what enables it to maintain its position.

Secondly, even whilst held in place by the points of stitching, this stretchy covering retains a great capacity to stretch and then regain its original shape, enabling the hyperflexible foam to ‘play’ beneath the weight of the body and to mould itself perfectly to the shape of the user, much as the sand might do so on a beach.

The hyperflexible polyurethane foam used for the comfort layer covering the entirety of the structure of the seat allies a great capacity to lose its shape in order to perfectly support the body in all positions with a lasting ability to rapidly regain its original shape, thus guaranteeing the longevity of Ploum.

The seat of the large settee, which may accommodate up to 4 persons, has a slightly closed angle perfect for encouraging sitters to move closer together, which in turn facilitates conversation between the occupants of the settee. In fact, the generous dimensions of the Ploum settees and their open, welcoming shape have been specially designed to accommodate a variety of positions, from sitting to lounging, or even fully reclined.

The great flexibility of contact associated with a freely-formed shape turn Ploum into a veritable nest: in fact, all positions are possible here, both back and head enjoy the same soft contact, no matter which part of the seat is concerned, even the arms.

Construction: Steel tubing, wire and mesh. Covered base.

Comfort: Integral seat in high resilience polyurethane Bultex foam 48 kg/m3 – 3.6 kPa and integral back in Bultex foam 26 kg/m3 – 1.4 kPa with comfort layer in hyperflexible polyurethane foam 30 kg/m3- – 1.8 kPa. Comfort is reinforced by the nature of the Mood fabric : a double-layer quilted stretchy weave, held in place by points of stitching.

Making-up: Cover made from a woven fabric generously padded with polyester quilting and quilted by points of stitching. Covers may be removed by an upholsterer.

Fabrics: Exclusively available in Mood fabric.

See also:

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Quilt by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec	Star System by Enrico Buscemi and Piergiorgio Leone	Ruché by Inga Sempé for Ligne Roset