April 03, 2014

ONYX SOFA DESIGN BY PEUGEOT DESIGN LAB




ONYX SOFA DESIGN BY PIERRE GIMBERGUES 
PEUGEOT DESIGN LAB




ONYX SOFA DESIGN BY PIERRE GIMBERGUES 
PEUGEOT DESIGN LAB
Milan 2014: a three-metre-long sofa created by Peugeot Design Lab splices together a piece of volcanic stone and carbon fibre to create a mix of the old and new.
The design arm of the French car manufacturer mined a single block of volcanic stone from the Auvergne region in France. The material is known for its ability to filter water and was created by volcanic eruption 11,000 years ago.
The team worked with stone cutters who created a flat surface to allow the other half of the sofa to be connected. A seat section was then carefully chiseled out of the stone and polished to a shiny finish, in contrast to the rough, dulled edges of the surrounding rock.
The latitude and longitude coordinates marking the origin of the stone have been chiselled into the material.
"The Onyx sofa is an illustration of a new concept that we intend to explore," said Cathal Loughnane, the head of Peugeot Design Lab.
"Unique pieces of furniture, made to measure, to suit the choice, origin and personality of the customer, but which always respects a common idea."
The Carbon Fibre section makes up the larger proportion of the sofa. The material was wrapped around a wooden frame before being attached to the stone. This section also has the coordinates of where the piece was made engraved onto the surface. The whole process took 70 days to complete.
"By means of a sharp straight cut, this contrast is powerful, voluntary and assumed in the way we look at the materials and how they are used," said Gilles Vidal, Peugeot's styling director.
According to the team, the sofa weighs more than 400 kilograms and is available in other materials.
Onyx will be showcased alongside seven other sculptures in Milan next week. The series will include lamps, shelves, armchairs and tables and contain a mix of materials including quartz crystal and aluminium, black palm and basalt.











































PEUGEOT DESIGN LAB / THE STUDIO
Peugeot  Design Lab is a Global Brand Design studio. The strength of a brand is not just measured by its products; everything that a client sees plays a defining role in the perception of the brands image. Peugeot Design Lab specializes in developing global brand & product experiences.
Our expertise covers a large range of competences: Brand strategy, DNA - Illustration of brand vision & values- the creation of a unique form language & identity, the development of innovative products, graphics, packaging & communication.
With over 200 years of industrial experience and 120 years of automotive innovation, Peugeot Design Lab’s experience and know-how is available to other brands.
The technical and design ressources of the 3 Peugeot Design studios in Paris, Shanghai & Sao Paolo gives us the capability to develop the most complex or simple products anywhere in the world.




Every Brand is unique. It possesses its own DNA, history, values & ambitions. These all combine to create a world unique to a specific brand. Our role is to help define & illustrate the vision of the brand and develop the world that will best represent this vision.
In order to assure that this vision is correctly communicated we first translate it into a unique, coherent & global visual signature. To accomplish this we define a design philosophy and apply to it a distinct form language, which allows the products to communicate the values, vision & identity of their parent brand. This approach must also extend globally to the choice of materials, colors, graphics & logos and every other aspect of a brand that is exposed to the client.
In a world that is more global & competitive, establishing a unique & coherent identity is crucial to the success & durability of a brand. 




Peugeot Design Lab offers a wide variety of business models in order to fully adapt to the needs of all our different clients and their projects.
Brand imaging and product development are long term projects that we view as strategic investments with benefits for both parties. We leave it to the client to decide whether or not to disclose these collaborations.
Peugeot Design Labs investment into the creation of new products can lead to a co-investment with the client. Depending on the degree of involvement, this can range from a partnership to co-branding.
Peugeot has a long history of civic commitment and we are happy to continue that tradition at Peugeot Design Lab by undertaking not-for-profit projects.