Pharrell’s Venture into Furniture Design
Though his track record in music is unparalleled and fashion trends have moved at his whim, many are unaware of the multi-faceted creator Pharrell Williams’ brief venture into furniture design.
In 2008, Williams was coping with stress from the loss of his aunt and turned to art and design as a creative outlet. Sabina Belli connected Pharrell to the gallery owner Emmanuel Perrotin, who encouraged Pharrell’s artistic interest in furniture design.
Inspired by the idea of “walking a mile” in someone’s life, Pharrell partnered with furniture design duo Domeau & Pérès to introduce “The Perspective.” Created as an homage to true love with two sets of mannequin legs holding the brightly colored seat upright - “I had often wondered what it’s like to truly be in love, not lust for once. So I decided not to ask what it was like in someone else’s shoes or what it was like to sit in their seat. I decided to sketch out my own experiment; the perspective chair.”
The following year saw a second furniture collaboration between Pharrell and Domeau & Pérès with “The Tank.” A continuation of the theme of perspective, this piece provides a war-bound vantage point for the user, with a leather seat on plexiglass tank tracks in place of legs. The seat design inspired by the iconic Eames lounge designs. Baby blue and pink were notably chosen to lighten the mood, while black and white represent yin and yang.
“The Tank Chair follows the first design concept of me putting myself in someone else's shoes to understand what and how they are feeling. Here I focused on young men and women who join the military and put themselves in a position that can not be reversed, and end up in wars far from home, often not understanding why.”
Pharrell continued to work with Perrotin as an occasional curator or event organizer. His work with Domeau & Pérès has gone from furniture to designing a luxury bicycle. “The Simple Things,” a collaborative piece between Pharrell and #TakashiMurakami, recently sold at Christie’s for approx. $3 million. His knack for actualizing limitless creativity will undoubtedly cement his legacy as a producer beyond music.
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