Promotion: US designer John Vieweg aims to bring "humanity back to industrial manufacturing" in a collection of furnishings for his interior design studio Thehighkey.
Vieweg's collection named Relief is made up of a sofa, a mirror and two wall-hung decorative pieces, which are all characterised by their rounded, soft compositions.
Vieweg's Glove Couch was made using computer design software. Afterwards, the piece was realised in physical form by sculpting foam with a hot wire before applying it to a wooden core.
"By thickening a curved line I was able to produce this organic form that had a very human quality. It had this immediacy about it, I knew that I had to build it," said Vieweg. "The Glove Couch encourages you to sit in its various folds, creating a condition in which you feel held."
The couch is upholstered in a natural boucle that has a range of colour options. Custom finishes with other fabrics are available upon request.
The Dome Mirror is made up of a circular plywood border carved into concentric curved lines with a mirror mounted in the centre.
The curved shape of the frame is reinforced in the mirror, which is convex instead of flat to create a fish-eye effect in the user's reflection.
The carvings consist of plywood that has been worked into to create undulating patterns of consecutive lines that snake from bottom to top or from side to side, which is a variation of the mirror's decorative frame.
The pair of carvings can be hung individually or side by side to compliment one another.
Each item includes a wooden french cleat, which allows the pieces to float off of the wall, giving them the appearance of being suspended in mid-air.
"The three wall-mounted items are a natural extension of the curving motif. Each one serves as a sigil, softening the surrounding landscape for human occupation," Vieweg explained.
"The two carvings continue the graphic treatment from the couch, while the Dome Mirror with its convex reflection reveals the entirety of the space around the viewer."
The collection draws on the idea of relief in sculptural processes, which is the carving away of material to create softer components and rounded edges.
It encourages "physical relief" by presenting comfortable furnishings and rounded motifs that are easy on the eye.
"Historically, reliefs have been made by carving away at natural materials," said Vieweg.
"Thehighkey puts a contemporary spin on this technique by cutting into standard industrial products such as plywood and foam."
"[Relief] speaks to the industrial context in which it was made," Vieweg said. "These rounded shapes are reminiscent of throwie graffiti and are the foundation of an entire graphic system, one that has become a form of expression for me."
"These items provide relief from our complex world," Vieweg continued.
The collection's name comes from the aesthetic, physical and psychological meanings of the term 'relief'. The items will be available in October to coincide with the launch of Thehighkey's official website.
To learn more about the design studio visit Thehighkey's Instagram here.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Thehighkey as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.