Snøhetta designs social dining chairs for the modern home

Snøhetta and Varier have partnered to create Social, a set of two versatile dining chairs to accommodate the growing needs of the modern home, where the dining table now serves many purposes. Social has a low environmental footprint and will launch during Milan Design Week on April 19th.

Social is designed for the Norwegian ergonomic-focused furniture manufacturer Varier and is a dining chair informed by movement and interaction. The role and purpose of our homes have drastically changed during the last few years, and the kitchen and dining tables have become places where every aspect of life happens. Social adapts to this ever-changing context by facilitating movements for more natural interactions in work, play, creation, and social settings.

Social is purposefully and strategically developed by Snøhetta's Product Design team to help set the course for Varier's future and extend the brand's product portfolio from singular chairs to more accessible designs that can be used in multiples, embracing a larger context in our daily lives.

Snøhetta's collaboration with Varier started in 2020 by curating a selection of textiles for their collection. Through continuous conversations and a world that suddenly changed during Covid, the collaboration naturally grew into a new project, developing a meaningful response to the current needs.

“The most interesting aspect of this process was understanding Varier's context and legacy as a company and mixing it with our context and spatial awareness. We fully understood the increased need for flexibility in our future homes through internal research within our studios and across disciplines. The world and the objects and spaces we inhabit are rapidly changing. Social adapts to this dynamic by facilitating movements for more natural interactions in every setting of our multifaceted life at home,” says Marius Myking, Director of Product Design at Snøhetta.

Two designs for different situations

Social comes in two versions, Social Turn and Social Tilt, which are differentiated through their swiveling and tilting bases, designed to support the different needs around the table.

Turn is developed around the idea of a full dinner table, where conversations flow in every direction, allowing you to turn and interact seamlessly.

Tilt lets you get closer for focus and lean back to relax and is designed to easily sync with the fast-paced changes in everyday life and encourage movement while sitting.

Together, Turn and Tilt naturally facilitate any situation around the table - homework with the kids, meals, or a digital meeting - and allow you to move intuitively in every setting.

Social is available in six color combinations: Onyx Black, Winter White, Cream, Blue, Green, and Red. The versions are well suited to be mixed around a table and complement each other, and an upholstered seat cushion can be added for extra comfort.

"Being a brand known for creating innovative, ergonomic furniture promoting health and well-being in domestic settings, it was clear to us that the behavioral changes driven by the pandemic would create new opportunities. Having already collaborated with Snøhetta on smaller projects, we knew that they, through their multidisciplinary approach, would be the ideal partner to challenge us and help us achieve the ambition of an everyday chair for the modern home", says Leif Holst-Liæker, CEO of Varier.

Recycled and reduced

Social is made from post-consumer recycled polypropylene and reinforced with glass fiber. Although built to last, Social is designed for disassembly to facilitate full recycling. The hollow base, made using air-infused injection molding, reduces the amount of material required while at the same time ensuring stability.

With the recycled plastic material and local production in Italy, the chair has a low environmental footprint, and EPDs are available for both versions of the chair to provide an objective insight into the CO2 performance.