Jaime Hayon and “The kings of comfort”

04/07/2025 - The collaboration between the traditional furniture manufacturer Wittmann and artist and designer Jaime Hayon is entering a new chapter. Hayon's new designs for this year – the Kolinas sofa and armchair and the Tuya Relax chair – join a series of iconic designs that began in 2016 with the Vuelta armchair. The Spaniard talks to Archiproducts about his collaboration with Wittmann and the new products. The meeting place for the conversation with Jaime Hayon was Wittmann's appearance at Milan Design Week 2025. Unlike in previous years, the company did not choose the Salone del Mobile as the setting for this event, but instead opted for the quiet, characteristic atmosphere of a Milanese backyard. In addition to the new products, numerous classics were on display, along with information about the influence of Josef Hoffmann and many other important designers of their time. They continue to shape Wittmann's design language to this day and were also the driving force behind Jaime Hayon's decision to work for Wittmann. "I have always loved Josef Hoffmann's furniture from the early nineteen hundreds. The designs are smart and so intelligent, and I was always impressed that such incredible chairs were developed back then. They are modern and full of vision, so I really wanted to know who made them,“ says Hayon, visibly enthusiastic and almost a little incredulous himself: ”It's funny... now I'm part of history myself!" When designing for Wittmann, Hayon always wanted to create something that only this company could produce in this form. “The design shouldn't look Italian. Or Spanish. It should be Austrian, the quality of the upholstery should be highlighted, and it should have a design language reminiscent of Wittmann's older pieces.” This design standard led Hayon to create Vuelta in 2016, a compact chair about which he says: "I imagined it standing in one of Josef Hoffmann's buildings, with people sitting down and ordering a drink. You take a seat and feel great and comfortable. The position suits everyone, no matter if women or men. The chair is yours and embraces you.“ Tuya, the relax chair presented by Wittmann this year, is also entirely ”yours“, as the name Tuya, deriving from the Spanish word for "yours" suggests. This chair also creates an emotional connection between the piece of furniture and the user. Jaime Hayon raves about this piece as well, saying, “They are kings of comfort”, when talking about Wittmann's implementation of his design. The comfort is complemented by precise stitching, sophisticated upholstery, and great attention to detail. All in the typical Wittmann style. All these characteristics are the result of expertise that Wittmann has accumulated over more than 125 years. "I love working with companies that have a long history. You're surrounded by experts and can learn so much. I've built up a whole library in my head over the last 30 years and know how things are made. That makes it easier to develop new projects where I can also pick up a little of the company's specific design language," explains Jaime Hayon. Kolinas also bears witness to Wittmann's creative roots. Available as a sofa and armchair, Kolinas is the second new product designed by the Spaniard for the long-established Austrian company this year. “The new products demonstrate continuity,” says Hayon. A stylistic continuity both for Wittmann's catalog and for Hayon himself: “I don't distinguish between commercial and artistic work. I am a painter, designer, sculptor, and I move freely in all environments. Both functional and decorative objects arise from intuition and a feeling of freedom. This is how my work achieves its recognizability.” Like all of Hayon's work, Kolinas also tells a story. Inspired by hilly landscapes, “las colinas” in Spanish, the silhouette draws organic shapes of gentle ridges. Both the sofa and armchair appear harmoniously curved, inviting and grounded. “I liked the idea of the flowing lines of hills and heights, so it was important to me that even the feet of the seating furniture were rounded and upholstered. When you have a story to tell, every detail has a meaning that you can explain”, says Jaime Hayon.
 
Wittmann on Archiproducts