Before the acclaimed Iraqi-born British architect Zaha Hadid passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack earlier this year at the age of 65, she had been working on a furniture collection for her long-term gallerist and close friend David Gill. Known as the queen of the curve, Hadid was best known for groundbreaking architectural designs that crossed borders, defied norms and inspired millions. But she also designed jewellery, shoes and several furniture collections that exemplified her visionary style. UltraStellar, her final furniture collection comprising of eight pieces inspired by mid-century design, went on display at the David Gill Gallery in London in October.
Hadid’s friend and acclaimed interior designer Francis Sultana, who is also the CEO of the gallery, has worked closely with Hadid on a number of projects, including the UltraStellar collection, which was aptly named because, as Sultana explains, “she was looking at us from above.” This particular collection saw the architect deviate from the use of clear acrylic to that of wood.
“Zaha was very well known for the acrylic work we did together, such as with the Liquid Glacial collection, as it really set a precedent in her work, there was a fluidity about it. She loved the acrylic work, however, she started seeing a lot more designers using it and she was always moving one step ahead,” recalls Sultana. “I was actually quite surprised she wanted wood, but it worked very well even with her forms. That’s what is so incredible – that her forms worked well with any material. They had a different kind of beauty. Her language is very coherent and the material has actually done its duty in a different way. I can imagine all the pieces translating into other materials – marble, acrylic, bronze.”
The collection consists of single and twin chairs upholstered with vividly coloured leather, two coffee tables, two acrylic consoles, (which extend the Liquid Glacial furniture line) a large dining table, which is available in three different sizes and the large, ultramodern metal and glass Lisse chandelier, undoubtedly the star of the show.
The pieces, combining walnut timber, silver, glass, and leather, stay true to Hadid’s futuristic and abstract signature aesthetic with their fluidity, swooping lines, and lightweight feel. “Her work is so powerful, just like she was. This is no ordinary furniture,” Sultana aptly points out. “The show isn’t just about showing furniture, it’s about remembering someone very special.”
Interestingly, Hadid had expressed a desire to venture into using different fabrics in place of leather for this collection, which ultimately didn’t come to fruition. “Zaha knew I had a love for fabrics and leathers and furs and she loved high fashion and she asked me if we should do something instead of leather,” explains Sultana. “I said maybe we should do sheered mink or degradé hand coloured leather, but then she passed away when she got to the point of deciding, so I didn’t want to instigate that. I couldn’t go and do that on my own because people would think it’s not Zaha. Had she been alive, these chairs would not have been in plain leather because this all would have been expected, and she was ready to go beyond.”
When asked what piece would have been Hadid’s favourite, Sultana light-heartedly explains that the designer never had favourite pieces. “I think the first thing she would’ve taken is the console and eventually every piece would’ve found a place in one of her homes. But I think she may have surprised me and she would’ve liked the circular coffee table. It’s very special in the way its consecutive circles go around,” he says of the tables made of four parts with her signature ripples at their centre.
Not surprisingly, the entire collection once again manages to astound and it truly lives up to Hadid’s reputation as a one-of-a-kind master of design and creation.
While remembering his close friend – whom he has referred to as a pioneer and a revolutionary – and the impact she had on him and the world, Sultana expresses that Hadid followed her dreams and brought her visions to life. “She created a movement, and that’s the legacy she’s left behind.”
