Jaime Hayón’s Gardenias for BD Barcelona Design

A romantic, highly versatile outdoor furniture line.

Once again, the prestigious, Spanish creative Jaime Hayón has collaborated with Spanish designer furniture company BD Barcelona Design, this time with his new outdoor furniture collection, Gardenias.

Gardenias comprises a multifunctional, varied set of outdoor furniture that includes chairs with or without a canopy, benches, terracotta sculptural vases and planters as well as an attractive watering can. The idea is more open-ended than a finite collection since it has the potential to incorporate new pieces. Subtlety, beauty and a sense of history all permeate its design. 

One striking aspect of Hayón’s project is the way it gives the rigid, cuboid aesthetic of most outdoor furniture a softer, more romantic look that’s also adaptable to indoor spaces. The designer’s signature shapes are reflected in the pieces’ graceful, subtle, feminine contours. Indeed, the sinuous pieces are almost ‘Gaudí-esque’ – or should we say ‘garden-esque’? – in the sense that the metal pieces have organic, almost plant-like forms normally found in wood furniture.

The collection revives the elegance of classical garden furniture while giving it a warm, contemporary look – one that’s unimposing yet robust and hard-wearing. Its delicate look belies its technological sophistication that combines cast aluminium for its curved forms with extruded aluminium for its side sections, all designed to withstand inclement weather conditions. These aesthetic and technological  considerations harmonise, ensuring the pieces will last a long time.

It’s not the first time Hayón and BD Barcelona Design have joined forces. In 2006, the Spanish company invested in the designer’s talent with its successful collection, Showtime. Gardenias is his second collection for BD, and it shares the same chacteristics as Showtime: warmth, individuality, multifunctionality, elegance and just the right degree of romanticism. Gardenias is intended for outdoor use but also suits indoor spaces too. And it’s suitable for both domestic and commercial contexts.