Less is a bore

Over the last few weeks you’ve already seen a lot, but the furniture business has much more to offer. Some companies stand out simply because their furniture is vivid and eccentric. The German company, Bretz, manufacturer of handmade upholstery, is one of them. The company’s website says “The masters of Bretz couture blend craftsmanship with passion, quality with imagination, tradition with avant-garde”. But Bretz is not only famous for their furniture, their saucy promotional pictures have definitely contributed to them establishing their brand worldwide. The 2011 campaign was shot by renowed photographer Udo Spreitzenbarth, who has done photoshoots for Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar, to name but a few. Each picture has an extreme emotional appeal. The outcome is provocative, rebellious and even radical.

So, let’s take a walk on the wild side this time—but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

In this picture there’s a dining chair, Rocky. But there’s also a story to tell: The woman clothed in black leather with an eye mask and high heels seems to scream “bondage” while the cozy chairs with soft seats, comfortable padding and gentle curves promise “tenderness”. But in fact, the woman is just another chair, with her head resembling the curl of the chair and her toes being the paws. This is devoted art. Rocky is Devotion.

Perfect symmetry and sophisticated purity—that’s Don Corleone. It has everything to please the aesthetic: function and looks. The padding offers perfect stability for the body and its straight shape underlines the quadrangular style. No curves, no coils—just calmness, for the body and the soul. Don Corleone is Balance.

Mamma has a shape that’s been used for sofas throughout history. Imagine glorified rulers like Louis XIV sitting on it, the couch as a symbol of their grace, energy, self-control but also their dominance. Mamma is a perfect symbol of strength. The fact that it has been modernized and is being sold again today, proves the immense impact it still has on furniture design. Mamma is Power.

What did you see first? The bed? The legs? The cushion? The bed plays only a minor role here; it’s the naked woman who catches our attention. The way she holds her legs suggests tension and resembles the bed’s paws, her hat with the horns fits the shape of the headboard and, of course, there’s also the pointedly placed cushion. All this triggers different kinds of associations and makes her the personification of this bed. The bed, by the way, is called Gaudi. Gaudi is Sex.

Highland offers a lot of possibilities. According to Bretz it is possible to create 15(!) different seating arrangements starting from the standard set-up. Finally a couch that breaks free of constraints and narrow-mindedness. It breathes new life into your home and it’s liberating—let it set you free. Highland is Freedom.

Well, how do you feel right now? Everyone will react to these pictures—that’s what they are made for. With their emotional pictures Bretz shows us that modern furniture has immense power and that it can be anything you want it to be. It can be boring or breath-taking. It can be timid or tempting. Either way, furniture is not just something to sit on; it’s means to express yourself.

So, dare to be devoted, balanced, powerful, sexy and free—according to Bretz, anything less is a bore.

(If you feel the need to feed your recently developed fascination, have a look here, here, here, here, here and here.)