Palchetto

DESIGN BY SAM HECHT AND KIM COLIN, 2022

The Palchetto upholstered outdoor seating system is inspired by the architectural elements found in Italian—style theatres, the boxes or “palchetti” where spectators take their seats to watch performances. Consisting of one or more upholstered elements, which can be used alone or combined to create different configurations, Palchetto features a quick coupling and release system between the various modules, which can then be arranged as desired. The seating is soft and comfortable with a memory foam seat and backrest with elastic straps, which echoes the same shapes as Palco, an upholstered outdoor seating system where the seats rest on a platform, and with which Palchetto can be combined.

Sam Hecht and Kim Colin

Sam Hecht and Kim Colin consider in their work both a thoughtful consideration of form and a unique understanding of contemporary life, creating beauty out of utility in the products, furniture and exhibitions they design. Hecht, from London, trained as an industrial designer, while Colin, from Los Angeles, trained as an architect; together they have helped their clients to produce items that display an understanding of both cultural relevance and spatial use. Remarkably, the designers’ work appears as one continuou project across a vast array of industries, where the cross-pollination of disciplines has enabled continuous development of the studio’s intelligence. In 2018 their complete works were published by Phaidon Press in a new book entitled simply ‘Industrial Facility’. Both Hecht and Colin are Royal Designers for Industry and Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts, honours that recognise sustained design excellence, work of aesthetic value and of significant benefit to society. Their works are held in permanent collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper Hewitt in New York; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Art Institute of Chicago; Centre Pompidou, Paris; and the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Design Museum, both in London.