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Andrea Pallarés, who graduated from the RCA and established her own design business much at the same time, reflects in her work the change in needs to suit modern living

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Words by Chloe Pelas

Who
Andrea Pallarès founded her business and graduated from her MA in design products at the Royal College of Art in 2017. Her design project Nook was awarded the RCA Ruth Drew prize on her graduation. In her words, Nook is ‘a new type of upholstered furniture between a bed and a couch, which provides a functional and adaptable solution that meets global city dwellers’ new emerging needs’, Pallares says.

‘I am a product designer who has always strived to understand how new living conditions affect society’s needs, and design products that help portray better, greener and more sociable futures.’ Currently, Pallarès is seeking an investor company to get her award-winning product manufactured.

Why
Pallarès’ passion for design stems from her interest in our rapidly developing world and the way in which everyday life constantly has to be redesigned. ‘My work is about observing and understanding today’s changing living situations, and responding with emotional and innovative objects tailored to meet society’s emerging needs and wishes,’ she says. Her projects challenge the conventional understanding of living by offering new, alternative conceivable futures both aesthetically and functionally.

Aura
Pallarès created Aura in an attempt to encourage people to connect with artificial light and to provoke an emotional response. It is inspired by the constantly changing nature of sunlight and provides a changing ambient light in the day and an intimate atmosphere at night. A dichroic filter enables Aura to create coloured light. When Aura is switched off, it reflects the light surrounding it, changing accordingly

Nook
Pallarès developed this new type of upholstered furniture for her RCA graduation project. Nook was designed in the hope of aiding city dwellers to combat the shrinking space in urban homes and the consequent desire for privacy. It is both space dividing and space creating, due to its ability to switch effortlessly between a sheltered comfortable private corner and an open social place.

Gezellig
This a type of seat that occupies the middle ground between a mattress and a sofa. Pallarès’ aim was to offer new ways to relax in social situations. Gezellig was created for an environment without television to promote human interaction. However, the design is flexible enough to be also enjoyed in quiet solitude.

Where
www.andreapallares.com