Expormim unveils its Tina collection

A fusion of architecture and rattan, designed by Benedetta Tagliabue.

We unveil Tina – one of the first collections launched this year by Expormim, a company that specialises in handcrafted furniture with a Mediterranean flavour. Tina comprises a rattan armchair and bench, designed by the Italian, Barcelona-based architect Benedetta Tagliabue.

Director of the architects practice Miralles/Tagliabue-EMBT, Tagliabue has designed these seats making use of the skills of Expormim’s expert craftspeople to produce an elegant, curvaceous design. According to Tagliabue, ‘Wickerwork is a wonderful, universal craft ¬– you could even say it’s the primary language of humanity and of human hands. That’s why in our studio we conduct research on wickerwork and the weaving of natural materials.’ A big fan of natural fibres, Tagliabue has previously worked on other architectural projects using similar materials, for example for the Spanish pavilion at the Expo 2010 Shanghai.

Made using a complex technique, the Tina chair and bench presented a challenge to the designer and company, both in terms of their development and manufacture – and represent a highly contemporary take on rattan seating. The pieces straddle innovative design, painstaking craftsmanship and great attention to detail with the precision and quality achieved by cutting-edge technology. The characteristics of natural weaving make Tina surprisingly lightweight and curvaceous – and very comfortable.

Expormim has been making cane and wicker furniture with an emphasis on the handcrafted for over 50 years. It creates it in collaboration with cutting-edge architects and designers, such as Tagliabue and Oscar Tusquets, and with design studios like Ebualà, Nieves Contreras and Mut Design. The latter designed the firm’s Nautica and Ulah collections.