A lounge chair designed by Roberto Semprini for Sintesi in 1994. Formed from a chrome-plated steel frame wrapped in opalescent PVC spaghetti cord, the Hydra reduces the chair to a single flowing line, with structure and seat becoming one and the same.
The translucent cord gives the chair both a futuristic and ethereal quality. As light passes through it, it catches and diffuses across the woven surface, giving the chair an almost luminous presence. Throughout the day, shifting light continually alters the character of the piece.
Semprini described the design as a contemporary interpretation of the woven seating found in 1950s Italian cafés. That reference remains, but the Hydra also possesses an architectural clarity, balancing softness and structure with remarkable economy. More than three decades after its introduction, it retains the optimism, technical confidence and sculptural simplicity that characterised much of Italy's most experimental design of the 1990s.
Dimensions: 77 × 53 × 63 cm
Collection from Brixton, London or arranged delivery.
About the designer
Roberto Semprini is an Italian architect and designer whose work became closely associated with the country's postmodern design movement during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1987 he became a member of Bolidismo, an Italian avant-garde design group that embraced expressive form, speed and colour in reaction to the restraint of modernism.
Working across furniture, interiors and architecture, Semprini is known for distilling familiar forms into bold, fluid gestures, combining playful experimentation with rigorous functionality. His work for Sintesi remains among the clearest expressions of that approach.
A lounge chair designed by Roberto Semprini for Sintesi in 1994. Formed from a chrome-plated steel frame wrapped in opalescent PVC spaghetti cord, the Hydra reduces the chair to a single flowing line, with structure and seat becoming one and the same.
The translucent cord gives the chair both a futuristic and ethereal quality. As light passes through it, it catches and diffuses across the woven surface, giving the chair an almost luminous presence. Throughout the day, shifting light continually alters the character of the piece.
Semprini described the design as a contemporary interpretation of the woven seating found in 1950s Italian cafés. That reference remains, but the Hydra also possesses an architectural clarity, balancing softness and structure with remarkable economy. More than three decades after its introduction, it retains the optimism, technical confidence and sculptural simplicity that characterised much of Italy's most experimental design of the 1990s.
Dimensions: 77 × 53 × 63 cm
Collection from Brixton, London or arranged delivery.
About the designer
Roberto Semprini is an Italian architect and designer whose work became closely associated with the country's postmodern design movement during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1987 he became a member of Bolidismo, an Italian avant-garde design group that embraced expressive form, speed and colour in reaction to the restraint of modernism.
Working across furniture, interiors and architecture, Semprini is known for distilling familiar forms into bold, fluid gestures, combining playful experimentation with rigorous functionality. His work for Sintesi remains among the clearest expressions of that approach.
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