A comfortable chair, B&B Italia, and sustainability? Designer Patricia Urquiola has brought all of these together with the Husk armchair. Husk is essentially a moulded plastic shell topped by soft cushions and held up by some funky, yet understated legs. According to B&B Italia “Husk is the result of a long development process to create a versatile armchair that is both unique in its own right and able to complement even the most classic sofas.”

Husk. Designed by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia.

The versatility of Husk is surprising when faced with a stand alone chair. Three types of cushions are available: standard, large and very large or with a headrest. I personally prefer the design without the headrest as it starts to take on a gaming chair or executive office chair look with the headrest included. The cushions come in leather and fabric in a variety of colors which leaves the final impact of the chair up to the textile chooser. The plastic body comes in four available tones, and the supports can be either fixed or rotating in natural oak, grey or black lacquered wood.

B&B Italia is known for its modern style and high -quality Italian construction. I personally do not associate B&B Italia with sustainability, but this project shows a greener side of B&B Italia. Husk uses both recycled and recyclable materials, and components that can be fully disassembled in future – making future recycling more likely and therefore reducing the environmental impact.

About the Designer: Patricia Urquiola is a prolific designer that originates from Oviedo, Spain and now lives in Milan, Italy. She attended Madrid Polytechnic where she did her thesis under Achille Castiglioni. Since then she has worked as a lecturer, product designer and architect with many well known companies and people. Some examples include Alessi, Boffi, Kartell and Knoll to name just a few. Her accomplished designs have been recognized in the iIalian Design 2001 Exhibition and the International Design Yearbook of 1999 and 2001.