LD Seating Dafna: Elevate Commercial & Home Interiors
1 day ago
5 min read
It has a narrow opening where the seat meets the backrest, with a curve intentionally interpreted as a smile.
Dafna. Credit: LD Seating
Dafna is a soft-seating range produced in Boskovice by LD Seating, a family-owned firm based in the Czech Republic. The fully upholstered, rounded shapes leave no vulnerable areas, with the front, sides, and back treated equally. Designer Lucie Koldova worked with the company's teams for two years to develop the range, which now comprises upholstered lounge chairs, armchairs, chairs, and coffee tables for modern homes, high-end hospitality, and workplaces. The concept is simple yet difficult to execute: combining the comfort of a home item with the sturdiness and stability needed for commercial use.
Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating
LD Seating wasn't interested in another type of chair; instead, it wanted a softer, more expressive design language without compromising comfort or performance.
“What I enjoyed most was the harmony and alignment in the way Lucie and I worked together. She was given a very open brief: to create a lounge chair that she herself would like to have at home and in her studio. When she presented the first design, it immediately caught our attention. We liked it so much that the original idea of a single lounge chair developed into a complete collection.” - Jitka Hurábová, founder of LD Seating
Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating
“I had a clear idea of the typology and the seemingly minimalist way in which the individual parts should connect from quite early on. I had a sense of what type of collection would bring something new to LD Seating's portfolio and what kind of expression I wanted to give it.” - Lucie Koldova, founder of Lucie Koldova Studio
The model should be viewed from every angle; like the chairs, it is just as elegant from the side or the back and can therefore float in a room rather than sit against a wall or be tucked behind a table. This way of thinking shaped the design.
“For me, the silhouette is strongest when combined with the fully upholstered base, which appears both in the smaller armchair and in the large swivel lounge version. The softly remodelled forms flow into one another, creating a shape that feels comfortable and supportive for the whole body.” - Lucie Koldova, founder of Lucie Koldova Studio
The opening feels like a little smile; it's a positive feature I wanted to include. It also lightens the overall bulk from the back and gives the armchair an air of grace.
Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating
The softness comes from an exceptionally rigorous process. The armchair shells are made entirely of polyurethane, with a rigid structural core covered by a layer of soft polyurethane foam.
Koldova says working with moulded polyurethane created new opportunities to achieve smooth, accurate, soft shapes.
“Working with moulded polyurethane opened completely new possibilities for achieving smooth, precise and soft forms. We worked very carefully on how the individual forms connect and on upholstering the rounded parts, which was extremely complex and required months of work by LD Seating’s experts.” - Lucie Koldova, founder of Lucie Koldova Studio
This went on for months, and since rounded shapes have no straight edges, they can be used to conceal oneself.
I could count on the expertise of specialists in Italy, as well as the upholsterers in Boskovice, who performed the difficult jobs involving the stretch fabrics with great skill; they gave the collection a perfect finish, and that is one of the main reasons the final design works so well.
Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating
The biggest Dafna chair is available with a solid upholstered base, optionally featuring 360° rotation, or with a four-legged steel base; the medium chair has upholstered, steel and aluminum star bases, the latter of which can be provided with or without casters; the smallest model brings the same design to meeting rooms, dining areas and modern workplaces.
The Dafna Tables are available in three sizes, each with a fully upholstered polyurethane base and a choice of metal or lacquered solid oak tabletop; the different sizes and heights mean the tables can be used individually or in groups.
For architects and designers, this means applying a single visual style to lounge areas, hotel interiors, restaurants, meeting rooms, and private homes, without relying on any one type of seating.
Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating
The requirement also focused on longevity; because both the shells and table bases are made entirely of polyurethane, the materials are easier to separate and recycle when the products reach the end of their useful lives. The armchairs, chairs and tables are also designed to be reupholstered, meaning that if the fabric becomes worn or out of fashion, the product can still be used.
Production will continue in Boskovice, with LD Seating looking after development and manufacturing at that single site. The company, run by its family for more than three decades, benefits from its experience in polyurethane seating, ergonomics and upholstery.
Dafna will be on display this autumn at DesignBlok in Prague from 6 to 11 October and at ORGATEC in Cologne from 27 to 30 October, as well as at Pulse and several other international design events. Throughout the year, it can be seen in LD Seating's showrooms in London, Munich, Prague, Bratislava and Boskovice, where all the models, materials and upholstery choices are available.
“A collection like this was missing from our portfolio, and I was very pleased that it was created for us by Lucie Koldova, an exceptional Czech designer, for a Czech company. The collection gives me a very pleasant feeling: something beautiful, balanced and timeless that I would love to have in my own space. I hope it evokes the same feeling in everyone who experiences it.” - Jitka Hurábová, founder of LD Seating
Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating Dafna. Credit: LD Seating
