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Eco Outdoor x Utzon(s) A Three-Generation Collaboration
Sydney Opera House architect Jørn Utzon’s creative legacy finds a new expression in an Eco Outdoor furniture collection, based on a design by the acclaimed Dane and created with his daughter Lin Utzon and grandson Mika Utzon Popov in a three-generation collaboration.
A chance encounter between Ben Kerr, founder of Eco Outdoor, and Mika Utzon Popov, the artist grandson of Sydney Opera House architect Jørn Utzon, has led to a one-of-kind collaboration that sees a private furniture design by the world-renowned Danish architect brought to market for the first time. That meeting ultimately led to a visit by Kerr and Matt Lorrain, Eco Outdoor’s head of furniture, to Can Feliz, the Utzon family home on the Spanish island of Mallorca. “Ben walked in, saw a sofa designed by my grandfather and said, ‘I think we should do something with this,’” Utzon Popov recalls.
“When my father built the church of Bagsværd in Denmark, he made all the benches for the congregation. I think it inspired him to create the sofa.”
The sofa in question was created and built by Jørn Utzon for the Mallorcan family residence, which he also designed and which occupies a remote mountainous setting on the island. It was the architect’s last residence and an architectural wonder, with legions of admirers worldwide. But the sofa had humble beginnings, his daughter recalls. “When my father built the church of Bagsværd in Denmark, he made all the benches for the congregation,” says Lin, an internationally renowned artist in her own right. “I think it inspired him to create the sofa.”
Both Lin and Utzon-Popov were initially hesitant about working on a project involving a piece of beloved, private family furniture – one that had never been seen by the public – but, as Utzon Popov explains, “The enthusiasm Ben has for creating ideas and projects is really infectious. And when he and Matt came to us, there was such an understanding and integrity around treating this the right way and making sure everyone was happy, everyone was on board.”
What followed was a meticulous collaboration by Eco Outdoor that united three generations of the Utzon family and which resulted in a sublime, eight-piece collection of outdoor furniture.
What followed was a meticulous collaboration that united three generations of the Utzon family and which resulted in a sublime, eight-piece collection of outdoor furniture. Led by the reimagined sofa, the collection also comprises a lounge chair, gallery bench, daybed, dining table, dining bench and high and low stools. Crafted from fine-sanded sustainable teak and teak laminations using a combination of high-tech and handmade processes, the pieces combine Jørn’s original vision, Lin and her son’s subsequent modifications and Eco Outdoor’s meticulous refinements to create an outdoor furniture collection defined by its materiality and visual simplicity.
Bullnose detailing, trussed legs and offset plank placement served as the design language for the original; larger section planks curve on leading edges and are square cut on internal intersections in the modern revision. The cushioned pieces feature Italian hopsack-weave outdoor fabric in a light sand shade, while exposed stainless-steel hardware and fittings on the dining table and benches reflect a minimalist aesthetic.
“My approach was to treat the original piece as a library of design detail and, as it iterated over different types, to make sure those details were incorporated into the new designs,” says Lorrain. “I think we’ve been able to treat the original product with respect and to work with Mika and Lin in a way that honours the design and the family lineage, also making sure it had the same kind of expression and character as the original.”
Utzon Popov and his mother are thrilled with the result. “My father would be very happy to see that his sofa became something else and [part of] a big collection,” says Lin. “I’m very proud of what we’ve made,” says Utzon Popov. “Its final form is so close to the intention of the original piece – it’s really beautiful.”
