Bõln is Born, a New Brand of Furniture for Contract Spaces

Bõln, a recently created Spanish furniture brand, has launched its first two lines for contract spaces—the Sarek modular seating and accessories system and the Abisko stool series—designed by the Madrid-based Stone Designs studio.

The company's innovative proposals, made of plant-based polyurethane foam, are based on Flexyskin technology—developed in-house—which improves the properties and versatility of this material for its application in furniture design, and allows the manufacture of compact, waterproof products. This technique allows frequent cleaning of the pieces whose surfaces also incorporate certified anti-fungal and antibacterial properties—qualities that are increasingly in demand for furniture intended for public facilities.

"From the beginning it was clear to us that with Flexyskin we had to make outdoor furniture for contract spaces, because of the durability and waterproofing it offers. We also wanted the proposals to be very modular and flexible when designing an environment," says Fernando Rivas, CEO of Bõln.

On the other hand," they noted at Stone Designs, "the fact that the material is soft is not only a practical advantage due to how comfortable it is, but it’s also a factor we played around with to wow the user.”

These pieces, designed for areas of heavy use, make it possible to create environments and micro-architectures in collective areas such as hotels, shopping centers or residential spaces, as well as in offices, coworking spaces, airports, sports facilities, stores, waiting rooms, bars and restaurants. "Apart from these functional capacities, these designs are conceived out of a sought-after aesthetic versatility, so that they can be used to create anything from fun and informal spaces to sober and architectural settings," explains the studio responsible for the first two Bõln collections.

This new brand is backed by the family company Poliuretanos Rivas, which has more than 40 years of experience in the injection of polyurethane foam. "Flexyskin arises from the experience and knowledge gained in other projects made from plant residues. It is a mixture of this raw material and a new technology, which results in a material that is more environmentally friendly and totally new," emphasizes Fernando Rivas.

Stone Designs is a multidisciplinary design studio based in Madrid, which has been working for more than 25 years at an international level on both interior design and product projects. In 2020 it won the Red Dot Award: Product Design for the Gemini slate designed for Swedish company Glimakra.