Product profile

We could all learn something from this chic collection of seating.

Rattan made modern.

‘Contemporary’ isn’t a word commonly associated with rattan — but just look at these pieces. By Hawke’s Bay industrial designer Scott Fitzsimons for Città, our new favourite seating, Liana, shows how this simultaneously nostalgic and now material can be reinterpreted for modern spaces.

Teaming traditional craft with present-day design, handwoven rattan wraps a powdercoated steel frame configured in two-seater, three-seater and armchair form, upholstered in your choice of fabric. This design was a finalist in 2020’s Best Awards; however, despite the acclaim, it has a charmingly humble appeal. Perhaps the ultimate aspect, though, is how the rattan cape provides visual texture while ensuring the seats look good from all angles— making them a rare, highly functional find ideal for open-plan spaces.

Scott designs with an underlying philosophy of simplicity, timelessness and permanence, and it shows in these items. They’re very much in the moment, yet haven’t turned their back on the beauty of their roots — an approach to live by, really. cittadesign.com

QUIET WISDOM Scott says he loves the sense of calm the Liana collection produces. At once precise and soft, it offers elegant lessons in the value of décor that’s designed with restraint and visually takes the rough with the smooth.