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Feeling blobby? Take a seat on Sofía Elias’s unique furniture creations

30-12-2024

Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson

Fun and quirky pieces of furniture are the trademark of Sofía Elias’s brand Blobb. With creations such as the Pofi Chair, the Mexican designer pushes the boundaries of conventional design.

Sofía Elias is a creative all-rounder. An architect by trade, the 29-year-old is the founder of Blobb – a brand that creates jewellery, accessories and furniture. Her rings, which she refers to as «miniature sculptures for the body», went viral in 2020 and soon adorned the fingers of stars such as pop icon Dua Lipa. In 2024, Elias presented the Playing to Play playground on the High Line Plaza in New York City. The work was inspired by kindergartens and their mini-sculptures.

In her studio in Mexico City, which is just as lively as her designs, you can see how her background in architecture comes out in her creative work. When I went to see her, I was quite literally able to let myself go and experience how the Mexican designer blurs the boundaries between art, design and architecture.

A chair you let go in

Elias’s designs play with contrasts, such as firmness and softness, to explore the limits of the materials and bring out their particular properties. Her goal? To rethink everyday objects.

A cool example of these experiments is the Pofi Chair made from recycled plastic, silicone and foam. It collapses when you sit on it and puffs up again when you get up. It’s a folding object that exists between function and play. Sofía Elias explains that her collapsing chair involves a loss of control that aims to make people laugh when they sit down – a typical trait of her playful designs.

The chair’s intended to mess with your perception.
Source: Pia Seidel

Although it’s stable, it encourages people to explore the feeling of falling. — The chair’s intended to mess with your perception.
Source: Pia Seidel

Optical illusions for more fun

Elias’s handmade creations, such as the Party of Three chairs, also challenge beholders’ perception. The objects look as if they’ve been coated with fresh paint, but appear to be as sticky as chewing gum, at the same time.

The Party of Three chairs by Sofía Elias are made by hand.
Source: Pia Seidel

The contrast between hard and soft is at the heart of each piece. — The Party of Three chairs by Sofía Elias are made by hand.
Source: Pia Seidel

The cute chairs reflect Elias’s colourful, imaginative world.
Source: Pia Seidel

Each of her creations proves that magic lies in imperfection. Elias questions how we use things and why we perceive them in a certain way. Her designs invite you to look at our thoroughly optimised world from a new angle. How about allowing things to be a little more chaotic, lively and imperfect for a change?

Studio Blobb’s located in the lively Roma Norte district.
Source: Pia Seidel

It’s characterised by a simple interior design. — Studio Blobb’s located in the lively Roma Norte district.
Source: Pia Seidel

This is where the innovative and often quirky designs that make her work so unique are created.
Source: Pia Seidel

Header image: Pia Seidel

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Pia Seidel

Senior Editor

Pia.Seidel@digitecgalaxus.ch

Like a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.

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