DESIGN DIRECTION ∙ COLLECTION STRATEGY

Creating a Cohesive Retail Assortment

A complete outdoor furniture collection developed across lounge, modular seating, dining, fire tables, and occasional pieces—designed to read as one clear retail offer.

Sapphire sofa set, wcsh 8888, sofa oval table 130x80cm, 43h, ALU MGR, PTN PTG 18FG, HPL BT

role ∙ 2021

Independent Product Design Consultant

MARKET

Global Retail &

E-Commerce

scope

Lounge, Modular, Dining, Fire & Occasional

FOCUS

Design Direction & Range Development

overview

Designed as one collection.

The brief called for a complete outdoor furniture assortment capable of supporting multiple categories within one recognizable design language. Lagos was developed across lounge seating, modular sectionals, dining, fire tables, occasional pieces, and destination seating.

The challenge was to create enough variety for a broad retail offer while maintaining clear relationships between products. Proportion, frame geometry, curved forms, detailing, color, and upholstery were coordinated across the range so that every piece could stand on its own and still belong unmistakably to the same collection.

The work was to create a collection broad enough for retail and coherent enough to feel designed as a whole.

01 • DESIGN DIRECTION

A shared visual language.

The assortment began with a defined vocabulary rather than a list of products. Curved silhouettes, open frames, balanced proportions, restrained material combinations, and recurring details created recognition across categories without making the pieces feel identical.

That shared language allowed dining, lounge, modular seating, and tables to perform different functions while presenting one consistent point of view.

The design system also had to be flexible enough to accommodate different scales, configurations, and price points. Rather than applying the same details everywhere, the collection used proportion, material relationships, and recurring forms to create continuity while allowing each product to respond to its own function.

COLLECTION

A complete outdoor assortment spanning dining, lounge seating, modular sectionals, fire tables, and occasional furniture.

DESIGN LANGUAGE

Consistent proportions, recurring forms,

and shared detailing created recognition

across categories without repeating the

same product.

MERCHANDISING

Products were designed to work individually or together, giving retailers flexibility across floor layouts, promotions, and seasonal programs.

OUTCOME

A cohesive collection capable of

supporting multiple retail environments

while maintaining a clear and recognizable

identity.

02 • ASSORTMENT DEVELOPMENT

Different categories, one retail story.

The collection was structured to support complete outdoor environments rather than isolated placements. Lounge groups, modular configurations, dining, fire tables, and occasional pieces gave retailers multiple ways to present the range at different scales.

Each category addressed a distinct customer need while reinforcing the same collection identity. The result was an assortment that could be edited for floor space, regional preferences, and retail programs without losing coherence.

03 • DEVELOPMENT

Protecting the collection through sampling.

Development moved from concept and CAD into physical prototypes in close collaboration with the factory team. Each sampling round was evaluated both as an individual product and as part of the wider assortment.

Proportions, comfort, frame construction, cushion fit, visual balance, knock-down requirements, and production details were refined without losing the common design language established at the beginning.