Bahia & Odyssey:upholstery collections inspired by places near and far

Sunbrella has launched two new upholstery collections: Odyssey and Bahia. Their rich colors, bold patterns and opulent textures lend an elegant finish to any indoor and outdoor space. Pieter Verhelst, upholstery market manager, and Albane Arcile, senior designer, tell us more about the new collections.

What was the focus of these new upholstery collections?

A.A: Because our world is constantly changing, we wanted to create a sensory, immersive experience filled with discoveries and guided by one golden rule: take your time! The structures and patterns of these new collections, their strength and authenticity, are inspired by nature, craftsmanship, and an imaginary land.

Rather than do anything obvious, we followed our instincts, and imagined a poetic journey of rich, essential tones. Each quality has been honed to combine beauty with performance.

Why did you create two different collections: Bahia and Odyssey? How did you come up with the ideas?

P.V: The Odyssey collection has been available for four years. It includes all our bestsellers and, of course, we’ve added some new products.

This timeless collection is all about simplicity. It strikes just the right balance between the practical and the essential.

The Bahia collection is our first trend collection. The idea was to get behind the latest trends in color and design. Bahia invites you on a journey to exotic climes in a remarkable encounter between sophistication and vibrancy.

As we plan to release a new trend collection every couple of years, we created two collections to offer customers new fabrics more quickly.

What's new or different about these collections?

P.V: When we were putting together these collections, we introduced several innovations: Majestic with its highly structured, luxurious effect; Zori, which is available in a gorgeous range of powdered shades; and Mezzo, a really colorful line that changes with the light. We also used blended yarn to weave the new Archi construction, creating a very natural, warm effect, and added new patterns such as Foutah with its Mediterranean stripes, geometric designs with Komo and Marquetry, and a majestic plant design with Ikebana. We also introduced new colors into the Solids, Natté, Lopi and Savane ranges. Lastly, we extended our Heritage range, with its raw look and vintage charm, woven from recycled fibers.

A.A: We want to introduce new yarns into future collections to create a greater variety of looks, and more luxurious to the touch, with fabrics that offer more relief. By refreshing the Bahia collection, we are inviting customers to embark on a new journey of self-discovery, a retreat, perhaps, to a deserted place, a virgin land or unknown planet.