Bla Station: Evolution No.1 2020, 23 36

Alberdi + Maggio | 2O2O
MISS ÅHUS
The Åhus family has a new member in Miss Åhus, a slender
and elegant chair to go along with the Åhus sofa and easy
chair. Sebastian Alberdi and Gustavo Maggio have sketched
a thin and precise drawing that smartly frames the user.
The soft curved lines with slightly inclined back legs offers an
emotionally charged aesthetic, with a female touch in contrast
to the other, male, members of the Åhus family. The height of the
tubular armrest is envisaged as more of a psychological than
physical boundary, while the backrest adds balance to the
comfortable seating. The back can also be upholstered, or left
plain treated with a special glaze that gives an artisanal wood
structure with pigment-filled recesses and a clean surface.
Meet Miss Åhus
Gustavo Maggio, Sebastian Alberdi
Formerly co-founders of Outofstock, Gustavo Maggio and
Sebastian Alberdi now run independent design studios, one
in Singapore and one in Barcelona. Spanish-Argentinian
Sebastian moved to Barcelona in 2002 from his hometown
of Buenos Aires, and works as a professor in product design
at IED Barcelona, together with his studio work where he mixes
product design with artistic and ephemeral projects. Gustavo
Maggio also has his roots in Argentina, but with an Italian
family background. After working in Barcelona, he co-founded
Forest & Whale with his partner Wendy Chua, and is now
sharing his time as both designer and lecturer between
Singapore, Europe and Buenos Aires.
Miss Åhus sports a distinctive female aesthetic that begs the
question: is there a lack of women in the design industry?
“Female designers have certainly long been neglected.
In Barcelona we have the famous pavilion by Mies van der
Rohe, but it took a lot of time before his collaborator Lilly Reich
was acknowledged for her contribution and her long and
varied design career.” Sebastian Alberdi
What is your latest design quest?
“With Elsa Yranzo, I’ve curated the In The Bauhaus Kitchen
experience; a multidisciplinary work including a lot of creatives
like chefs, architects, craftsmen and so on.
We’ve collaborated with Nicholas Fox Weber of the Josef &
Anni Albers Foundation, and I hope our documentary about the
project brings back the spirit of Bauhaus.” Sebastian Alberdi
Which book do you have on your bedside table?
“I just finished reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s a
fantastic tool for anyone to re-wire their thoughts and build
better working practices.” Gustavo Maggio
What do you listen to while working, and what design
challenge are you pining for?
“I’ve been listening to Smash Mouth’s hits to pump up the
energy in the office. A dream project would be to design the
interior of a self-driving vehicle by using my furniture and interior
design experience as well as my passion for anything on
wheels.” Gustavo Maggio
ÅHUS | 2016
ÅHUS | 2016 | Outofstock Design