Jaime Hayon says his Plenum furniture collection aims to be a hybrid between design for the home and the office, in this exclusive video interview Dezeen filmed at his studio in Valencia for Republic of Fritz Hansen.
Hayon's Plenum collection for Danish furniture brand Republic of Fritz Hansen is made up of a one, two and a three-seater sofa.
According to the designer, the collection aims to transform the idea of traditional office furniture, with designs that have the same look and feel as those used in the home.
"Offices have changed a lot in the last couple of years," says Hayon in the movie. "It's an open space, like a home. People want to feel at home when they're working."
"When we thought about the chair, the first thought I had was that we had to make something that would be as comfortable as a sofa that we would put at home," he adds.
Hayon says that because the nature of work is changing, furniture design for the office is in a "hybrid moment", where designers need to create furniture that can adapt to both home and work environment.
"We need chairs that are in-between. Pieces that are a little bit more light, more human and more colourful," Hayon explains.
The sofa system was designed to be placed in break away areas in offices and be used both for individual work as well as collaboration and socialising.
"With furniture like Plenum, you can connect with someone and you say: 'hey, I have something to tell you, why don't we sit down here and have a chat about it,'" Hayon says. "You can have your best idea or your nicest conversation while sitting in a very small, private space."
Each sofa has a high back and curved sides for privacy, and are upholstered in textiles from Kvadrat in a variety of colours such as pink and navy blue. The sofas have small pillows for neck and elbow support.
"Because of having the upholstery in your back with three pillows, it becomes extremely comfortable," Hayon says.
The pieces can be fitted with a small side table as well as USB and electricity plugs at the base of the sofa.
"Plenum has different accessories and we're planning to do more, but for now we have a round table and sockets with USB and International plugs so you can plug anything you want below it," says Hayon.
"People can choose if they want the sofa with or without the plugs, depending on the use they're going to have, so it's pretty flexible."
Plenum is part of a larger collaboration between Hayon and Fritz Hansen, which has resulted in an archive of designs including furniture, home accessories, decorative objects and textiles.
"I think the great combination between us and the success we've had in the last two years has been due to the fact we've both been very open to each other and we've brought the ingredients to cook something different," Hayon explains.
"Fritz Hansen has a great expertise, they have tradition and they've been part of the pillar of design for many years but I've got my southern flair you know – the kind of colours I use, questioning the kind of textiles they use and the form," he adds.
Hayon previous work for Republic of Fritz Hansen includes a table that can be used in the home, office or restaurants, and an armchair called Ro.
In 2014, the designer refurbished a room in the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen originally designed by Arne Jacosen, using pieces from Republic of Fritz Hansen's catalogue.