With Ellipse, Chiara Andreatti offers a refined rethinking of the modular sofa, one that rejects rigidity in favor of soft geometry and layered craft. Designed for Gebrüder Thonet Vienna, the system adapts to its environment through asymmetrical compositions, sculptural form, and heritage materials that ground the piece in a rich design lineage.
SOFAS
Each module in the Ellipse collection carries an organic shape, molded with the kind of softness that suggests erosion by time rather than engineering. The configurations it allows are deliberately open-ended: linear or curved, mirrored or mismatched, always fluid. Andreatti’s approach celebrates imperfection as a visual rhythm, inviting designers and users alike to improvise.
What sets Ellipse apart is how seamlessly it connects past and present. Thonet’s signature bentwood technique appears in the curved wooden frames that outline the sofa’s back and armrests. These elements are completed with hand-woven Vienna straw or finely woven leather, both of which add texture without disrupting the purity of form. The upholstery rests on a low ash wood base, available in natural or dark walnut tones, that lends a sense of structure without visual heaviness.
The system also incorporates wood side tables that function as both anchor and extension, making Ellipse as functional as it is sculptural. These built-in elements emphasize the sofa’s architectural quality while maintaining a domestic sensibility.
Andreatti describes the process as one of mutual evolution. “Bouncing ideas off the company means exploring its language, reinterpreting it and pushing it further,” she explains. That ethos is embedded in Ellipse, which feels contemporary yet rooted, flexible yet intentional. It’s less about seating as a static object and more about creating spatial flow.
Whether placed in a residential interior or public lounge, Ellipse adapts without losing its identity. It’s a piece that offers both modular logic and emotional warmth, an increasingly rare combination in contemporary design.
