Lievore Altherr Molina‘s Zoe Collection may be the only furniture line to prompt the following witticism: “is that a multitude of polystyrene pearls in your chairs, or are they just glad to see me?” Indeed, the series of large armchairs, small armchairs, chaise lounges, “baby” armchairs, and poufs stands apart for the occasional asynchronous bulge, but that’s all part of the fun, not to mention the intrinsic structure of these playful and comfortable furnishings.

Zoe Collection. Designed by Lievore Altherr Molina for Verzelloni.

Innovative Construction Creates a Distinctive Aesthetic

As is often the case with casual, “lived-in” pieces, each of the items in the Zoe Collection achieves its poufy aspect via a polystyrene interior, though in this case the typical foam stuffing has been replaced by manufacturer Verzelloni’s signature polystyrene pearls. The advantage of these high-performance beads—beyond the implicit appeal of a chair filled with “pearls”—is that they offer the ergonomic rigidity of foam in concert with the welcoming give of a compressible interior. This auspicious conceptual synthesis results in a collection made for lounging.

Zoe not only looks casual and comfortable but performs just so, without the typical pitfalls of “soft” seating like permanent sagging and poor ergonomics. Zoe’s upholstery palette reinforces the casual/comfortable theme. Verzelloni offers all pieces in a number of colorful cotton twills and luxurious leathers—even a weather-resistant outdoor fabric and a pseudo-suede version that resembles a big, soft Hereford cow. If you’ve your eye on a more customized incarnation, however, Verzelloni can accommodate that as well, as long as the chosen fabric is not “too lightweight.” And just like a good leather jacket, each individual Zoe piece exhibits slight individual variances. Verzelloni assures us this is all part of the line’s appeal: “please allow a +/- 5% tolerance of filling volume… with daily use, the expanded polystyrene pearls might lose volume. This is also normal. Original volume can be obtained by adding new expanded polystyrene pearls.”