Andreu Carulla’s latest collections exude Mediterranean style

His OM parasol is for the firm Calma and his Bernardes bench for Sillería Vergés.

Catalan designer Andreu Carulla has been inspired by the Mediterranean sea with his latest outdoor furrniture collections, namely the OM parasol created for the firm Calma and Bernardes bench for the company Sillería Vergés.

The OM parasol is perfect for terraces; it has an innovative closing and folding mechanism that allows for the same design to have two finishes, to suit different tastes. The parasol also allows you to create either a conventional-looking version or one with an undulating top. The parasol was unveiled this year by the outdoor furniture company Calma at the garden fair Spoga+Gafa in Cologne and at the fair, Hábitat in Valencia. A video showing how it works can be seen on this Youtube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK3CDMKcO60.

The Bernardes bench was created for a former convent converted into a cultural centre called Casa de Cultura Les Bernardes de Salt, where many events are held. Accordingly Carulla has created a simple, comfortable, long-lasting bench for visitors. This is made of solid beech with a wicker backrest and seat; the latter makes the backrest slightly flexible, rendering it more comfortable than benches with solid wood backrests. Keen to channel the former convent’s austere aesthetic and atmosphere of discretion, Carulla has given this lightweight, curvilinear bench a sober look. The piece has been handmade by Sillería Vergés.

Taking a personal approach that is conceptual and experimental — he deploys new materials and processes when designing and developing new products for a variety of sectors, including furniture, lighting, homeware and transportation — Carulla has a broad vision of product design. This Spanish designer has also collaborated with one of the world’s top restaurants, El Celler de Can Roca. He has created exclusive pieces for this gastronomic mecca, such as the PlatDePa plate, the totemic Torrembolesca storage jar for chocolates and the Facetat platter.