Mexican designer Liliana Ovalle has designed a sofa based on the improvised furniture of the homeless in Mexico City.

Called Mugrosita, the chair consists of a metal frame with wooden slats, to which beanbags and blankets can be knotted.

It is the newest piece from her Mugroso Series (shown below) and was presented at Design Miami last year.

Here’s some more information from Liliana Ovalle:

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Mugrosita, a chair

I would like to share with you my latest project, a chair called Mugrosita, which was presented at Design Miami this month, as part of the exhibition “Call Out to the Americas: Latin America!”, organized by Design Miami. This was the first exhibition presented as a result of an ongoing research on the design scene in the american continent.

This project is a continuation of the Mugroso Series, which started with Mugroso Couch when it was presented  in 2006 in the Royal College of Art degree show. The Mugroso Series are based on a photographic research where I explored  the hectic historical centre of  Mexico City,  portraying scenarios of  improvisation and poverty  where people find the way of putting bits and rubbish together in order to compose functional everyday objects. The objects grow in what appears random and sometimes absurd compositions, following no planning or safety concerns. The results are beautiful collages of bright plastic colors and filthy bits of different materials, each one connected differently. The couch explored the aesthetics and logic of this “system”, translated into a an abstraction of dirt, mess, and improvisation.

The armchair uses the same system developed for Mugroso Couch, where basic structures and random elements are held together with bean bags and ropes, using the knot as a connecting system. The object grows in an intuitive way, sometimes questioning a logical order, just as they naturally appear in the urban landscapes of Mexico City. In this version a new element is added: a metallic grid, an object widely used by street vendors to display their merchandise, accompanied with  tangled bags, old tape and more.

About Call Out to the Americas: Latin America!

Design Miami is conducting a research project to catalog the many talented designers originating from or working in the Western Hemisphere. Our first call for portfolios went out at the end of last summer and will be followed by studio visits and further investigation over the coming year. This exhibition is our first presentation of this research, representing a focused selection of work from Latin America. Combining established masters with promising newcomers, Latin America! demonstrates the rich diversity, quality and design thinking found throughout this side of the Atlantic.

Participating designers:
Tanya Aguiñiga/ Pedro Barrail/ Fernando and Humberto Campana/ Sebastian Errazuriz/ Estudio Manus/ Hugo Franca/  Pedro Friedeberg/ Hechizoo/ Liliana Ovalle/ Courtney Smith/ Joaquim Tenreiro

About Liliana Ovalle:

Liliana Ovalle (Mexico City 1977)
Product and furniture designer based in London and Mexico. Before entering the Royal College of Art (London 2004-2006), she ran Salon de T, where she developed a series of products, lighting and furniture.

Her work has been featured in different International publications (Furnish, by Die Gestalten Verlag, 2007, Domus, Elle Deco UK, Interni) and selected for design exhibitions in different countries (British Council, Milan; Paul Smith Space, Tokio; Changing Dimensions, London; Over Design Over, Perugia). In 2006 she was given the Talent Award by the British Council. One of her projects, Table Stripping, is now produced Milan-based Plusdesign Gallery.