Last spring, we saw a modern take on the sectional sofa with Natuzzi’s Surround. This summer brings an incarnation by the inimitable Patricia Urquiola. Her gives a new meaning to the term “get bent,” while simultaneously creating a new idiom for modular furniture.

As might be expected from Urquiola, Bend eschews the form of the traditional modular: by trading in the straight line for the subtle undulation, the side-by-side rectangle for the unorthodox arrangement, Urquiola has created “a surprising series of seats that transforms the traditional concept of the sofa… it gives the appearance of being manually moulded from a supple material as if by a sculptor.”

Bend Sofa. Designed by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia.

Bend also introduces a new way of speaking about modular furniture. Bend is constituted of “Central Elements,” “Terminal Elements,” “Corner Elements,” and “Ottomans,” with the added variety of chaise lounges and back-less seats. The great variety of modular pieces allows for nearly limitless groupings, including linear arrangements, corner compositions, and back-to-back set-ups that–very like the classic Party Lounge–“become the absolute centre of attention with its iconic presence.”

But the great coup of Bend is what B&B refers to as its “calculated eccentricity.” Another way of saying this is that Bend is vintage Urquiola–one part homage, one part savvy re-invention, and two parts fluid elegance. Just as Urquiola does justice to the millennial sectional, the graceful curves of Bend do justice to Urquiola’s reputation for excellence.

via Contemporist