Horm Stories #21
Today we want to tell you about the collaboration between Horm and architect Mario Botta, and how his distinctive design language is so evident in one of the most enduring products of the Horm collection.
Mario Botta’s architecture is characterized by solid geometries, perfect symmetry, and precisely defined angles. In his buildings, depth and mass gain life of their own, transforming into spatial entities that harmoniously blend to create unique and recognizable forms.
Botta is renowned for his affinity with monumental and solemn structures, often imbued with a sense of sacredness. Throughout his career, he has frequently worked on churches and religious architecture, including the Synagogue of Tel Aviv, San Giovanni Church in Mogno, Switzerland, and the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Évry, France.
This eclectic and versatile master of architecture, rich in inspiration, has transformed his poetic vision into a harmony of geometry, light, and context. These elements form the fundamental pillars of his artistic work, allowing him to create buildings that not only integrate seamlessly into the surrounding landscape but also enhance specific social contexts, human resources, and natural environments.
Botta favors simple, linear forms inspired by nature, where the plasticity of light shapes and molds the structure itself. This philosophy underpins all his projects, including product design, such as the Charlotte Armchair, designed for Horm. The concept begins with a cylindrical element that extends inward in its upper section to form a seat that appears to float in space. Its volumes are absolute yet hollow, making Charlotte monolithic yet light.
Mario Botta’s work is a continuous dialogue between form and space, architecture and environment, fullness and emptiness, evoking unique emotions and sensations—exactly the experience Horm strives to deliver through its design.
