Product sheet S 5000

Architonic-ID: 1028312

Designer:
James Irvine
Year:
2006

The British designer James Irvine has re-interpreted for Thonet a type of sofa that was an element of the Thonet programme even in the 1930’s: the archetype of the minimalist sofa with a base of curved tubular steel. With slight interventions of his own, James Irvine has developed a variable programme of seating furniture that is based on a simple, intelligent design idea: the S 5000 series is a ‘construction set’ consisting of one base element and up to four upholstery elements placeable as armrests or backrests, at the owner’s discretion.

One plus X: thanks to the simple, convincing design behind this seating furniture – a comfortable bench plus easy-to-attach and easy-to-detach upholstery elements of the same size that can be used both as armrests and backrests – the S 5000 series is an invitation to play with colour and form. Whether as a simple bench or, with the addition of upholstery elements, as a chaise longue with a single armrest and/or backrest, or as a cosy two-seater sofa with backrests and armrests; whether classic, in black leather, or fresh as a landscape of different colours: the range of combinations available is vast. Thanks to this versatility, the S 5000 is just as varied in the uses to which it can be put: whether standing alone in the middle of a room or along the wall, in a private setting as a sofa or guest bed, in lobbies or in the office. For sitting or lying, the base element measures 200 cm x 80 cm; the seat height is 41 cm.

The design of the S 5000 is typical for the work of designer James Irvine. For Thonet, with the contemporary model A 660 bentwood chair, he has already developed an outstanding, prize-winning product artfully spanning the worlds of tradition and innovation. The same is true here: with a discerning eye for familiar things, James Irvine frequently creates products containing ‘only’ small, nearly minimal alterations, thereby transforming the proverbial, the tried and tested, into something new, something contemporary. In the words of James Irvine: “The Thonet tradition gives the designer a language and construction which is timeless. After years of working with Thonet I have understood that there is the space to reinvent products which are perhaps more suitable for our modern times. Program 5000 is simply that, Thonet tradition for modern times.”