by A DJ booth, fitness bench and giant sofa with built-in iPad holder are among this collection of denim-clad furniture designer Harry Nuriev is exhibiting at Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris.
The denim exhibition, which occupies the entire ground floor of the gallery, reinvents the iconic American fabric by applying it to unexpected everyday objects.
“Denim has been adopted by everyone from miners and cowboys to Hollywood celebrities over the last two centuries,” said Carpenter’s Workshop Gallery.
“[It] is a fabric closely related to the concept of the American dream, and Nuriev explores this symbolism in his ultra-contemporary series.”
Pushing the boundaries of furniture, the modular collection includes homeware and fitness equipment that includes everything from wall-mounted storage bags to denim-covered dumbbells.
In doing so, Nuriev wanted to illustrate how post-pandemic, our homes are increasingly serving functions beyond just providing places to sleep.
“Since our lives have changed so much in recent years, we’re spending more time at home on our sofas,” Nuriev told Dezeen. “Rather than fight that fact, I chose to embrace it.”
This idea is perhaps most clearly exemplified in the Denim sofa, which resembles a cross between a giant mattress and a conversation pit.
Its exaggerated dimensions allow for the addition of tables, shelves, and light pink monitor stands to hold anything from iPads to TVs.
“I wanted the sofa to become a place of its own – a place to eat, relax, work and sleep,” Nuriev said.
“Just like you layer your jeans, t-shirts, and jackets in the order you want them, I want my furniture to adjust and shape to the user’s desires.”
In the gallery, these pieces are displayed in various configurations to suggest an entire apartment, complete with a modular vanity, a DJ booth and a large 12-cube dining table.
“I think my favorite piece is probably the DJ booth because it brings people together, not just as part of a party, but also as a meeting place,” Nuriev said. “And vanity too.”
The exhibition follows Nuriev’s earlier experiments in fusing fashion and furniture, in which he stuffed a transparent vinyl sofa with Balenciaga clothing and upholstered a virtual sofa with neon green Nike jackets.
“It’s part of my philosophy of transformism – bringing materials from other contexts, like fashion, to dress a space the way I would dress myself,” said the designer.
Living between Paris and New York, Nuriev is the founder of design practice Crosby Studios and Denim is his first solo show since being represented by Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
The photograph is by Benjamin Baccarani.
Denim is on view at Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris from March 4th to May 13th, 2023. See the Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
