Schön! alive 4 | mirror image

Jil Sander.
photography. Hartmut Nägele

Jil Sander values a table: not as an object, not just as an object, not just as a surface, but as a reason to communicate. “I love to invite people to sit down with me, especially if things need to be debated,” she tells Schön! alive. “Once you speak eye to eye, candour and trust are almost a given. You can talk on the phone or in a video conference, but a table provides a shared centre, which makes the communication special and more meaningful.”

For someone whose career has been defined by an almost architectural solitude of vision, the admission is almost disarming, and it says something essential about what JS . THONET – her first official foray into furniture design – is really about. The collection, created in collaboration with one of Germany’s oldest and most revered furniture houses, is built around objects that bring people together, the table chief among them.

See the full feature now only in Schön! alive.

JS . THONET | armchair S 64.
design. edited personally by Jil Sander

Jil Sander.
photography. Hartmut Nägele

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words. Gennaro Costanzo
images. Courtesy of THONET GmbH @ thonet.de

The Ovalia armchair by Roche Bobois.

If you have ever looked at an Ovalia armchair and thought it belonged on a spaceship, you were not completely wrong. Designed by Danish designer Henrik Thor-Larsen in 1968, the unmistakably egg-shaped seat arrived at the height of the ‘Space Age’, when furniture was becoming just as fascinated by futuristic forms, new materials and the possibilities of technology as the rest of the world was. Now, Roche Bobois is bringing it back for 2026, giving the cult design a few updates without tampering with its otherworldly personality.

The reissue makes perfect sense for Roche Bobois, whose history is closely tied to Scandinavian design. During the 1960s, the French house helped introduce French audiences to a new generation of Nordic furniture that valued function, experimentation and industrial innovation. More than half a century later, the Ovalia returns with that same spirit, adapted for contemporary interiors and modern habits.

“The reissue of the Ovalia armchair by Henrik Thor-Larsen perfectly illustrates Roche Bobois’s commitment to creative transmission: preserving the vision and boldness of an iconic design while updating it with our comfort standards and contemporary uses,” says Eric Amourdedieu, Roche Bobois Group Executive Director. “This effort of respectful reappropriation brings the heritage of design to life and firmly roots it in the present.”

The Ovalia armchair by Roche Bobois.

The biggest changes are happening beneath that instantly recognisable shell. The 2026 edition has a redesigned backrest inclination, an elastic-strap seat and an integrated headrest, creating a more enveloping position that makes the chair considerably more inviting for actually sitting in, instead of simply admiring it from across the room. There is even a magnetic system built into the shell for holding a smartphone, turning the Ovalia into a private little zone for watching, listening or just disappearing from everyone else for a while.

Thor-Larsen’s original idea was, in fact, about creating exactly that sense of escape. “Inspired by organic shapes, Ovalia was designed as a protective cocoon. I wanted to create a peaceful sanctuary, where one’s imagination could run wild,” the designer explains. “Roche Bobois’s reissue of Ovalia today is a source of great satisfaction: this collaboration is giving new impetus to a design that has preserved its modernity and its ability to inspire.”

The chair is also getting a much more colourful 2026 wardrobe, with six exclusive high-gloss or matte lacquer shades for the fibreglass shell and a broad selection of premium upholstery fabrics (including the tufted Harmonie textile). For Grégory Dias Monreal, Roche Bobois’ Head of Trends, the design still carries all the strange charm that made it so distinctive in the first place.

The Ovalia armchair by Roche Bobois.

“The Ovalia Egg Chair by Henrik Thor-Larsen is one of those objects that encapsulates an era, a vision and an attitude,” he says. “More than a conventional seat, it creates a bubble, a micro-universe. It evokes both a space capsule and the cosmic egg – a balance between technology and organicity.”

The surrounding pieces have been considered accordingly, with a matching footrest and circular cocktail table joining the armchair. Each Ovalia is finished with an exclusive medal bearing Thor-Larsen’s name and the date of the new edition, giving the reissue its own place in the chair’s history.

The Roche Bobois Ovalia collection is available to discover across global showrooms and online. Find out more here.

photography. courtesy of Roche Bobois
words. Gennaro Costanzo

Cubik collection by Ideagroup.

These days, the bathroom sink, storage and shower are expected to work a little harder aesthetically too, and with Ideagroup’s latest evolution of ‘Cubik’, the room becomes another piece of fine architecture.

Originally designed by Riccardo Gava in 2009, ‘Cubik’ has always been defined by one deceptively simple detail: its 45-degree edges. By removing the need for conventional handles and allowing the doors and drawers to meet at an angled edge, the collection created the clean geometry that makes a space feel modern but inviting at the same time.

The expansion sees Cubik transform in multiple ways. New modular units introduce different heights and proportions – including a 48.5 cm high module with a central groove between two drawers, a 60.5 cm high wall-mounted unit and a 76 cm high floor-standing module. Open wall and base units bring a little breathing room to an otherwise highly ordered system, keeping the signature 45-degree edge for visual continuity. There are also tall floor-standing units designed to accommodate a washing machine and dryer, solving modern utility needs.

Cubik collection by Ideagroup.

Cubik collection by Ideagroup.

Material is where things become more interesting, as expected. New natural oak finishes, including Rovere Caffè and Rovere Termo, bring warmth to Cubik’s precise geometry, with continuous grain running across fronts and side panels. The HPL palette also expands into marble-inspired Verde Dolomiti, Grigio Yule, Rosso Maya and Bianco Olimpo, alongside powder-effect solid colours – Scintilla, Firmamento, Lampo, Bagliore and Meteora – that add texture without overwhelming the design.

Glass offers another route into colour and pattern for those who prefer natural light. The collection’s aluminium-framed fronts can now be combined with a much wider selection of matt and metallic finishes, while new ribbed ‘Flutes’ glass introduces a three-dimensional surface that catches the light. This frosted, three-dimensional finish can also be customised in any colour from the Ideagroup palette, sitting alongside existing options like Stopsol and clear grey etched glass.

Cubik collection by Ideagroup.

Cubik collection by Ideagroup.

Then there are the new countertops, which give ‘Cubik’ an even more sculptural edge. ‘Tetris’ takes its name seriously: the Glacier White Corian surface combines an integrated basin with concealed side compartments hidden beneath removable lids, keeping the everyday clutter of bottles, brushes and bathroom paraphernalia neatly out of sight. 

‘Mirage’ takes a more stripped-back approach, offering a geometric integrated basin without an overflow in several widths and customisable, coloured Aquagel or Aquatek finishes. Finally, the circular ‘Halo’ washbasin softens the collection’s straight lines with a simple 45cm form in matte white Cristalplant, complete with a matching free-flow waste and optional lacquered outer walls.

Cubik collection by Ideagroup.

Discover the latest ‘Cubik’ collection here.

photography. courtesy of Ideagroup
words. Gennaro Costanzo