Danish modern furniture and accessories retailer BoConcept and Daimler automotive brand smart are both known for their expertise in innovative urban design. They have officially joined forces, introducing the world to the smart fortwo BoConcept signature style car as well as a furniture and accessories collection named the BoConcept smartville collection.
Collection Director Claus Ditlev Jensen from BoConcept explains why the partnership makes so much sense: “To me, smart is not just a car. It is a statement of urban living and the perfect city car in terms of beautiful, functional design. Both smart and BoConcept have years of experience within each of our industries, and we put our knowledge and understanding to great use in making urban life easy. We share the commitment to and strong focus on urban life, which results in intelligent design that is cutting-edge and aesthetically beautiful.”
No Compromises
No compromises were made in the development of designs for urban living. As the world’s largest cities continue to grow, one major challenge in urban living is limited space. BoConcept and smart deliver intelligent solutions that save space, but never compromise on look and quality. The clever city car solves the challenge of limited parking space, and the multifunctional furniture pieces help optimize limited living space.
Both companies’ customers look for customized solutions to express their personal style, and they have many options when it comes to personalizing their smart car and designing their BoConcept furniture. “Basically, the smart car and the BoConcept furniture each have strong character, which is made evident by the type of customer who buys them, explains Martin Hülder, head of smart marketing and product management.
smart fortwo BoConcept Signature Style Interior
The Design Process
The BoConcept design team and the smart design team worked closely together in the creation of the smart fortwo BoConcept signature style and smartville furniture and accessories collections. During the process, the designers shared and exchanged their knowledge and experience and introduced each other to new materials and ideas, some of which became part of the design of the car the smartville collection.
“The first premise of smart is to make city life more colorful and less stressful. For us this job is done when people arrive happily and safely at home. And right on the doorstep, BoConcept takes over. Together we offer people the perfect solutions for urban life – for busy streets and cozy living,” says Martin Hülder from smart. Claus Ditlev Jensen from BoConcept continues: “At BoConcept we follow developments in the automotive industry and see it as a source of inspiration. The use of technology, materials and shapes can often be transferred to the home.”
smart fortwo BoConcept Smartville Home Furniture Collection
Automotive innovation with the comforts of home
This unique automobile is the result of a collaboration between the smart and BoConcept design teams. It represents the best of two worlds: Life in the fast lane with strong design details and gutsy colors, and a cozy home feeling with exclusive materials and comfort. Designer Adriana Balko for smart explains: “The car really shows the bipolarity of both brands. We have a radical exterior and a cozy interior.”
A matte surface has been a no-no in the car industry for years while in home interiors, it is considered to be a warm, welcoming surface. Matte makes a strong comeback in the smart fortwo BoConcept signature style car, with the new matte white base dominating the exterior. The use of two different contrast colours is very daring. The elegant brown of the tridion cell is a dominant color in furniture, and the bright yellow in the rims and the mirror brings playfulness and a very personal expression into the design. Martin Hülder, head of smart marketing and product management says: “The BoConcept team came up with the excellent idea to add neon yellow to the color scheme. Just as it is used in the smartville collection, the neon colors are only used in very small bursts to bring character without taking away the exclusiveness of the design.”
The interior of the smart fortwo BoConcept signature style has a strong sense of home. The tobacco brown leather combined with fluffy, sofa-style grey fabric on the seats, door panels and dashboard is warm and soft in contrast to the classic black often seen in many cars. Just like the smartville sofa in charcoal grey, the yellow contrast stitching is visible all over the interior of the smart fortwo BoConcept signature style. And the finishing touch is the gear knob in real oak wood, a material that is very common in home furnishings but has never been introduced in a smart car until now.
The smart fortwo BoConcept signature style will be presented during a joint world tour and take part in events at BoConcept dealers during March and April. The customized car can also be ordered by design-loving individuals at any smart dealership that is offering the smart BRABUS tailor made program, price upon request.
smart fortwo BoConcept Smartville Home Furniture Collection
Bold, daring, edgy, smart
The living room takes on a new, cutting-edge dimension with the smartville furniture collection from BoConcept. Inspired by the bold, unique and personal expression of the smart car where every design detail is carefully integrated, the smartville collection presents an intrepid new look.
With the smartville chair (from $1,995), a new design icon is born. It resembles the seat of a car with its clean, high-tech shape, but exceeds comfort expectations from a living chair with its swivel and tilt capabilities. The lines of the smart car are clearly integrated in the shapes of the chair’s armrests. Shoppers can choose from the more formal black leather or tobacco brown with a cool yellow stitching for contrast, or the more casual felt in two grey tones.
The smartville sofa (starting at $2,995) is quite masculine with its volume and boxy shape, but the wavy surface and soft edges and corners turn it into a casual, welcoming and comfortable sofa. The design teams have transferred the yellow stitching from the smart car seat to the brown leather and soft grey versions of the smartville sofa – a funky detail that adds personality and emphasizes the curved lines. Like all other BoConcept sofas, the smartville sofa is completely modular so shoppers can customize configuration, fabrics and leathers with the basic module being exactly as long as a smart fortwo – 8.825 feet.
And finally, the modern collection is completed by the smartville coffee table ($595) with its organic shape and minimalistic design. The table is available in white lacquer, oak, walnut and black-stained oak veneer as well as the daring yellow lacquer. The bright yellow, almost chartreuse, color ties the designs together – from highlights in the smart fortwo BoConcept signature style to the stitching of the smartville leather sofas and chairs.
smart fortwo BoConcept Smartville Home Furniture Collection
Availability
The smartville Collection is available in BoConcept stores nationwide beginning April 1, 2013.
Smart details for the modern home
The accessories collection has smart written all over them. The iconic smart outline can be found on pillows, candlesticks, acrylic sculptures, plates, espresso cups, rugs and mugs.
The mug design is borrowed from the popular BoConcept Collector’s Item line, which launches new designs once a year. The accessories collection also features a wooden replica of the clock found in the smart fortwo BoConcept signature style car.
All items in the collection feature fun, unexpected contrasts by mixing natural colors with bursts of yellow, a powerful combination for everyone who loves the agile pace of the city.
Pricing and Availability
smartville rug: $695
smartville clock: $99
smartville sculptures: $9-$19
smartville candlesticks and gift box: $16
smartville pillows: $39
smartville plates and gift box: $49 for 6 assorted designs
smartville mugs and gift box: $49 for 6 assorted designs
smartville espresso cups and gift box: $39 for 6 assorted designs
The smartville accessories collection is available in BoConcept stores nationwide beginning April 1, 2013.
