Design to love: The cute furniture by Alexandre Delasalle

Cat pictures on the internet are so successful because they briefly cheer you up and trigger an "oh, how cute" moment in you. This is mainly due to their childlike features such as their big eyes and small noses, which symbolise innocence and awaken the protective instinct in us. Alexandre Delasalle aims to achieve the same effect with his furniture.

For the past three years, the up-and-coming talent has been exploring the unthreatening image of nature in contemporary pop culture, particularly in the cute imagery of the Kawaii concept, which became big with Hello Kitty in the 1970s. "Kawaii" literally means "cute" or "adorable" and describes images that evoke positive feelings in viewers for a certain period of time.

Today, kawaii is more than just an aesthetic concept. In Japanese society, it has become a lifestyle and permeates many areas of life, such as clothing, toys and food. It actually seems to make people happy. If that's not a reason to take a closer look at Alexandre's hearty furniture.

Plant motifs to set the mood

The designer has observed that numerous calming images of harmless ecosystems have blossomed in recent decades and wondered whether this formal vocabulary could be redefined as a new dispositive of well-being. The "Plush Garden" collection, which was on show during Milan Design Week, is part of a visual investigation in which Alexandre explores plants as objects of well-being in a domestic context. It consists of chairs, tables and lamps with patterns that take up motifs from biophilic design, video games and public kindergartens.

Whether printed pictures, sculptures or ornaments - for the designer, the representation of nature in the human habitat is omnipresent. That's why he also wants to transfer it to furniture by printing plant motifs on it. What's more, all the plush garden furniture is made from okoume wood and can be used as a (aeroplane) wooden construction kit. This and their comic-like appearance therefore make them perfect for all the "kidults" among us who want more play and fun in their everyday lives.