Alessandra Baldereschi’s latest, the FildeFir collection of outdoor lawn furniture, is iconic and ironic at once—a fitting combination, especially considering the piece is for distributor Skitsch. Not to tempt those with an unhealthy fascination with vintage TV commercials, but that manufacturer provokes me to re-work the classic Smucker’s jam commercials thusly, “with a name like Skitsch, it has to contain a hefty dose of savvy, self-conscious, pop-wise kitsch.” Baldereschi’s FildeFir is a kind of hilariously clever formal exercise. The line is ostensibly a simple if elegant offering of classic iron outdoor furniture: chair, armchair, and low table.

FildeFir Collection. Designed by Alessandra Baldereschi for Skitsch

FildeFir’s Virtual Upholstery

The clue to FildeFir’s identity is to be found above in the crucial inclusion of “ostensibly,” for the tantalizing threesome is indeed a handsome and useful outdoor set for lawn and garden, but it’s also a ribald riff on plush, oversized upholstery. If you didn’t notice this at first glance, look again. The contours of the chair’s seat back and the armchair’s arm and back are a precise rendition of upholstery’s negative space. The design thus duplicates the look of a plush backed capitonne wing chair, or the puffed up arms of a classical oversized lounger. Though the pieces would do just fine absent this bit of self-referential A&D fun, the appeal increases several-fold because of it. So if you’re in the market for a new lawn set with vintage appeal and more than a little aesthetic moxie, look to the virtual upholstery of FildeFir.

Via CoolHunting.

About the Distributor: Skitsch is a Milan-based consortium bringing together designers of every aesthetic stripe, all contemporary styles and raisons d’etre. The company catchphrase, “we are all designers… there are no rules for innovation,” nicely encapsulates an ethos of bringing together the eclectic visions, the divergent philosophies, the varying approaches to creation of such talents as Jean Marie-Massaud, the Campana Brothers, Philippe Nigro, and Bertjan Pot. In the two years since Skitsch debuted at Salone in 2009, the company has established a presence not only in Milan and London, but also in Beirut and, shortly, Sau Paolo. By selling product direct to consumers from these Skitsch locales, as well as through a network of 350+ global retailers, the company is able to offer a broad range of “furniture and accessories that combine function and emotion… think of the different types of home, indoor and outdoor, the variety of tastes, the duties neglected, the useful and the leisure. Innovation becomes workaday and you can create a personal environment.”