Inspired by the optimism of the 1990s, the ‘T4’ collection by London-based architecture practice Holloway Li in collaboration with Turkish manufacturer Uma features candy hues and a playful design. The collection also marks the furniture debut for the practice, led by interior architects Alex Holloway and Na Li, and was originally unveiled during London Design Festival 2022 at their space within The Market Building in Clerkenwell.
Cool Britannia and 1990s design icons such as inflatable chairs and lava lamps, as well as TV references (think Big Brother’s Diary Room or ‘the golden era of the chat show sofa’) form the basis for the collection which, the architects explain, ‘is an homage to the visual language of colourful onscreen scenography that dominated before the turn of the millenium’.
The modular seats are defined by an inviting, warm palette with shades including Melon Yellow, Blush Pink, Overground Orange and Cream Soda, and feature a bold fibreglass base with an upholstered seat and back in the same colour. Uma’s expertise lies in the production of moulded composites used in the automotive industry (as well as London buses), and every piece is hand-finished at its Izmir factory.
‘Our factory provides an extraordinary testing ground for designers where their ideas can be realised,’ comments Uma founder Steph Gallia. ‘Holloway Li’s playful and future-facing aesthetic and our technical know-how have resulted in the creation of lightweight banquettes with a stony finish for the hotel rooms of [London’s] Bermonds Locke, and the brightly coloured red and amber resin panels that currently stand tall in the shopfront of The Market Building.’
The designs are available as single seats, corner modules as well as other elements that can be combined to create a multitude of compositions. ‘It’s been a pleasure to collaborate with Uma on realising our first standalone modular furniture collection,’ say the designers.
‘As a studio, we’re always looking to film and television to tell new stories through design. In creating the series, we wanted to reference our childhood memories of the optimism of the 1990s Big Brother era and the colourful brash scenography that dominated our screens growing up; transporting this joyful nostalgia into our homes.’
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