As furniture design moves toward softer silhouettes and emotionally engaging interiors, Swiss designer David Girelli believes the most successful objects balance personality with practicality. His new Bubble collection, created with Dantone Home, reflects this through inflated forms and a sculptural approach to traditional seating.
© David Girelli | Dantone HomeDavid Girelli, designer of the Bubble Collection and owner of Girelli Studio.
The core concept: movement over rigidity
While many iconic designs from the 60s and 70s utilised regular, square tufting, Girelli wanted to disrupt that historical pattern. 'The concept was to start with the rigidity of a standard rectangular form, which is practical and easy to place, and then break that blockiness,' David explains. 'Rather than tufting the piece in regular squares, I rethought the process by creating completely irregular tufts. This creates a sort of abstract design and movement within the piece while keeping its physical comfort and softness. It's about giving a functional, otherwise inert shape a soul.'
The collection, which features a sleek 1-seater without armrests and a generous 3-seater, uses this irregular technique to ensure the piece reads differently from every angle, turning a sofa into a living landscape of light and shadow.
© David Girelli | Dantone HomeThe Bubble Armchair.
A foundation in human scale
Speaking with InteriorDaily, David Girelli, founder of Girelli Studio, describes his path as an organic transition. After a technical foundation in Design Engineering in Switzerland and a Master of Design in Milan, he spent twelve years in London working within architecture and interior design studios.
'Although my formal background was in engineering, I found myself drawn to the specific scale of furniture,' he says. 'Furniture interacts with the body entirely. It is tactile, intimate, and ergonomic.'
Founded in 2019, his studio has since expanded internationally, with projects reaching markets across Europe, the UK, and the United States. Despite this growth, David insists his design language remains rooted in lasting references: 'I ask myself if a piece will still feel relevant and beloved in twenty years.'
© David Girelli | Dantone Home
The technical challenge: engineering softness
Achieving that lively, sculptural surface without compromising comfort demanded relentless prototyping. Because the tufting is irregular, the tension of the fabric is much harder to control than in a standard grid.
'It took numerous prototypes to find the perfect equilibrium between the volume of the 'bubbles' and the way the fabric folds naturally,' David says. 'If the tension is off by even a few millimetres, the aesthetic is compromised.'
The collaboration with Dantone Home was vital to this breakthrough. 'They weren't afraid of the technical challenges that come with irregular forms. They gave me the creative space to move away from traditional, uniform tufting and explore something much more avant-garde.'
© David Girelli | Dantone Home
A new chapter in Provence
For David, this direction also taps into how people want to live today, seeking a "cocooning" feeling that still fits a modern floor plan. This balance of the industrial and the emotional is following him into his personal life.
'Since moving to Provence, being closer to nature has shifted my workflow,' he shares. 'I've begun working on a self-produced collection of sculptural furniture that I am crafting with my own hands, balancing industrial projects with limited-edition, handmade pieces.'
For now, the Bubble collection places him firmly inside the current design conversation: furniture that is softer, warmer, and more human in form.
More information:
David Girelli
[email protected]
www.girellistudio.com
France
Dantone Home
© David Girelli | Dantone Home
+971 (4) 362-6821
[email protected]
www.dantonehome.com
Dubai
