Primal instincts in Nick Ross’ new collection for +Halle
Stockholm-based Scottish designer Nick Ross designs the Proto series for Danish brand +Halle

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Thank you for signing up to Wallpaper. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
‘I wanted to create a feeling of a primal place, for instance, tucking yourself into a corner,’ Scottish designer Nick Ross describes of his interpretation of the word dwelling. This was the starting point given to him by Danish brand +Halle for a new collection of upholstered furniture, that aims to provide a cosy, personalised environment, much like our homes.
Taking it back to archaic connotations of dwelling as instinctive, Ross veered away from modular lines to realise a curvaceous range made up of chairs, sofas, benches and stools that together create a habitat of safety. Keeping in theme with human instinct, +Halle lined up three sets of design teams to immerse in the theory of dwelling, and then from this research, Ross formed initial prototypes that people could touch. ‘It was an organic process and quite a playful one, engaging everyone in the concept.’ From this the Proto collection was born, a soft and highly interactive series – from Birdseye view, the sculptural forms appear as a whimsical drawing when arranged together.
Human intimacy was also embedded in the collection –when arranged arm to arm, two of the Proto chairs appear to have a warm embrace. These elements were again trialed before the official release – ‘the one thing that I noticed was that people started to move the pieces around, in the same way as we had tested,’ Ross says of the movability of the Proto landscape that can offer environments of repose and hiding for individuals.
Ross imagines the pieces in areas of vulnerability, ‘hospitals are an interesting setting or any space where you need that inner feeling of security.’ Proto is a collection devised with plenty of thought, and for the benefit of human connection that we all crave – Ross muses that Proto can be used to ‘foster an intimacy that often gets lost today.’
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Rose Tarlow and Perennials present a second collaborative collection of fabrics and rugs
Perennials by Rose Tarlow features eight textiles and four rug designs that nod to the English countryside with a quiet colour palette and subtle, abstract geometries
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
50 years of Agape: exploring five decades of innovative bathroom design
Italian bathroom brand Agape turns 50, and founders Emanuele and Giampaolo Benedini celebrate with an exhibition looking back at their personal and professional journey
By Cristina Kiran Piotti Published
-
Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2009: the story behind the wine
Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2009 is the harmonious result of fruitful endeavours by the French champagne house and its cellar master Vincent Chaperon
By Simon Mills Published
-
Vincent Van Duysen ‘inspired by modernism’ for Molteni & C’s outdoor furniture debut
Molteni & C goes alfresco with two new collections and reissued classics, bringing its signature elegance to the great outdoors
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
First look inside Centurion New York by Yabu Pushelberg
Centurion New York is an expansive new space for American Express’ ‘black card’ members. Its interior designers Yabu Pushelberg give us a tour
By Tilly Macalister-Smith Published
-
Is this the most beautiful office in the world?
Parisian creative agency Art Recherche Industrie’s new HQ translates a 19th-century landmark into a chic open-plan office worth leaving home for
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Designer James Shaw’s latest creation is a self-built home in east London
James Shaw's east London home is Filled with vintage finds and his trademark extruded plastic furniture, a compact self-built marvel
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Taschen tantalises with new edition of Jorge Pardo’s ‘Brussels Lamps’
German publishing house Taschen launches a limited-edition series of five ‘Brussels Lamps’ by Cuban-American artist Jorge Pardo
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Edra’s outdoor furniture is an ode to the sea
Designed by long-term collaborator Jacopo Foggini, the ‘A’mare’ collection of outdoor furniture mimics shiny water, and was named 'Best Disappearing Act' at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Peep inside Luca Nichetto’s Pink Villa in Stockholm, part studio, part showroom
Welcome to the pink house that is the new Stockholm home to Luca Nichetto's team
By Maria Cristina Didero Published
-
These papier-mâché lamps combine craft with sustainability
Sustainability and fine art are the driving inspirations behind ‘resolutely maximalist’ London lighting designer Rowena Morgan-Cox of Palefire
By Tilly Macalister-Smith Published