BETWEEN STILLNESS AND SENSATION || Setsu & Shinobu Ito Translate Nature into Everyday Rituals
Washi, wool, wood, materials that whisper, rather than shout, lie at the heart of Setsu & Shinobu Ito’s new collaboration with Désirée.
This is a collection that does not demand attention, but invites a quieter form of admiration: one born of touch, stillness, and space.
The design duo’s Japanese-Italian dialogue continues with a new chapter that softens the boundaries between object and ritual. Each piece — the TE armchair, POND poufs, and GRADÉ rug — draws inspiration from nature not as a motif, but as a method. Through tactile surfaces, balanced proportions, and a deliberate lightness, the collection speaks to a life lived with intention.
The TE armchair offers a soft geometry and enveloping comfort that echoes its namesake — “hand” in Japanese.
The name TE means “hand” in Japanese, and the armchair lives up to the sentiment. Compact in stature but generous in spirit, the chair enfolds the sitter like a quiet embrace. Its design reflects a poetic vision: a blend of elegance and freedom, where form does not dictate use but suggests possibility. Whether placed in a meditative corner or beside a low table, TE turns the simple act of sitting into an experience of care.
If TE is the embrace, then POND is the pause. These organic poufs, with their softly rounded forms and subtly stitched outlines, function like stones in a garden — calm, grounded, and effortlessly versatile. A perch, a footrest, a resting place for books or trays, POND encourages moments of stillness amid the flow of daily life. Its raised seam suggests movement without disrupting serenity, offering a shape that is at once sculptural and practical.
POND poufs introduce organic softness and multifunctionality to contemporary living spaces.
Completing the trio is GRADÉ, a hand-tufted rug made from pure New Zealand wool. True to its name, it moves through tonal transitions — from rope to pearl, anthracite to ash — evoking the changing light of a day. Its richly textured weave alternates between bouclé and velvet, producing a tactile rhythm beneath the feet. A fringed border finishes the piece with a gesture of artisanal clarity. GRADÉ doesn’t just decorate a room; it anchors it.
GRADÉ’s tonal gradations and tufted textures invite a sensory dialogue between foot and floor.
Together, these designs reflect a philosophy attuned to contemporary life — one that prizes clarity over clutter, presence over pace. In a time when the digital and physical increasingly blur, Setsu & Shinobu Ito remind us of the simple luxury of sensation. Their collection for Désirée doesn't shout innovation; it breathes it, gently and intentionally.
