Doshi Levien’s furniture for Moroso «challenges people’s perceptions»

«For us it was really important that no matter what angle you look at it from the sofa is poetic, it’s sculptural.»
My Beautiful Backside sofa by Doshi Levien for MorosoHowever, the Indian influence is much more subtle in the duo’s more recent collections for Moroso. «Especially for me, coming from India, it was harder to find companies that were interested in my approach.»
Charpoy day bed by Doshi Levien for MorosoThe first collection the duo designed for Moroso was a series of daybeds called Charpoy featuring colourful embroidered Indian mattresses. Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien. Dezeen Book of Interviews: our new book, featuring conversations with 45 leading figures in architecture and design, is on sale now»Moroso is also very much rooted in craftsmanship,» she says. «She’s very interested in mixing things together, making connections where traditional manufactures in Italy would not even dare go.»
Charpoy day bed by Doshi Levien for MorosoDoshi and Levien’s work combines influences from their respective Indian and European backgrounds. It was just exquisitely made by the seamsters in India and we turned it into our first collection for Moroso, which was launched in 2007.»
Patrizia Moroso, Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien at the Moroso factoryDoshi says that the difference between Indian craftsmanship and Italian industrial production is not as big as it might seem. «Our approach is not a clean European industrial design approach,» Doshi explains. Related story: Chandigarh by Doshi Levien»We did Paper Planes [in 2010], which is a very industrial piece,» Doshi says. The design was based on a painting of a Maharani sitting on a palace floor and surrounded by cushions. You can watch all the movies below. My World installation by Doshi Levien at Lisbon Experimenta 2005″When we met Patrizia we’d just finished an exhibition exploring the interplay between industrial design and Indian craftsmanship,» Levien explains. «If you look at the way pieces are upholstered, for example, it’s still done by seamsters in the Moroso factory in Italy.»
My Beautiful Backside sofa by Doshi Levien for MorosoDoshi Levien’s next collection for Moroso, the My Beautiful Backside range of sofas, was also heavily influenced by Doshi’s Indian background.