Wrapped in comfort

 

A recent survey by the Financial Times shows that in the last five years new priorities have revisited the concept of comfort. In a particular historical moment, in which technological progress, new apps, and personal assistants services often coincide with an inevitably more sedentary lifestyle and smart working, the first requirement of the "new comfort" is the chance of enjoying outdoor spaces for a substantial amount of time.

 

The survey reveals a tendency of consumers to shift spending priorities towards the essential. And within this elusive “essential” stand out do-it-yourself, gardening and household items. In other words, comfort does not necessarily rhyme with luxury, or at least luxury lies in situations of (apparent) less comfort: outdoor activities, upcycling or restoring objects, which keep the body active and push the mind to be creative and customize the spaces in which we move. In short: a vital boost!

 

What about the change of meaning of comfort in the home? If the priority is to be in contact with nature, at the same time one will desire to make their home (the place of return), a welcoming nest equipped with what makes them feel good. This means on the one hand the use of smart tech, and on the other, the feeling of being active participants in sustainability, for example by keeping the heating temperature not too high, by trying to limit water waste, or by furnishing the house with unique vintage pieces, which support the circular economy. This is the point where colors, fabrics, memories, photographs or works of art, all those elements that have a profound meaning to us, come into play. The keyword is personalization through objects and textures that stimulate our senses.

 

After all, regardless of eras and lifestyles, returning home after a long day and sinking into our favorite armchair remains priceless! During the Victorian age, the non plus ultra of comfort was to converse on huge tufted sofas — such as the legendary Chesterfield that furnished the best gentlemen's clubs — in front of the fireplace, warmed up by upholstery, thick carpets, and curtains; during the roaring 20s the importance of good lighting began to establish itself through candlesticks, chandeliers, gold elements and mirrors, an attitude that modernist architects would try to overturn, preferring natural light as a relaxing source of lighting. From the 40s, the idea of comfort in the United States began to match the arrival of the first household appliances, a phenomenon that exploded in Italy in the 1950s, encouraging the best brands of made in Italy design, from Brionvega to Olivetti, to produce high-quality household appliances, which then began to be in great demand all over the world.

 

In the 50s and 60s, the golden years of 20th century design — marked by the increase of mass produced furniture —, the same idea of informal and relaxed comfort which we would expect to find in the contemporary home, emerged with furnishings that implied a relaxed and healthy posture: from the comfortable Lady set of armchair and sofa designed in 1951 by Marco Zanuso for Arflex, to the unusual and welcoming shapes of the Up series by Gaetano Pesce; from the wrapping seats of the Swan series by Arne Jacobsen to the soft Maralunga sofa by Vico Magistretti for Cassina, to which we could add dozens of other comfort design icons.

 

In any case, interior designers remind us that comfort is to be pursued first of all in the project phase of an interior; in other words, the ergonomic feeling has to be found not just in the individual furnishings, but in the totality of a room. The advice? Evaluate your personal needs well, and think about how you usually move in your space: for example, one will not be at ease if there is no space between a sofa and a coffee table in order to stretch out legs; or, it could be uncomfortable having to stretch too far to place a drink or a  magazine on the table easily. Some aspects, such as a TV that has been installed too high, or in a corner that forces you to turn unnaturally to watch it, should be considered from the very beginning of the project: if you can, do lots of tests!