Timeless visual comfort

Inspired by the iconic designs of yesterday, paying homage to the pioneering architects, furniture and interior designers from the ‘40s and ‘50s the Tactile Collection is all about timeless, visual comfort. 

Embrace that primal need to dig your fingers into the plush, cushy texture. Capturing the spirit of the times, this seemingly nostalgic collection offers a design-led range of bouclé, teddy and wool-look fabrics for luxe tactility and sophistication. This multi-use collection adds depth, visual texture and plush, soft-to-touch comfort. Best interpreted on curvilinear shapes - just see those iconic mid-century forms - Bemz offers a curated collection of wool-blend bouclé, teddy and tweed fabrics to accentuate some of our favourite IKEA models. 
 

Bouclé

A cross-category darling, favoured by fashion and design-lovers alike, popularised during the 1940s. Deriving from the French word meaning ‘curled’ or ‘ringed’, bouclé refers to both the yarn and the fabric. With style cues from the haute couture houses of old, inspired by classic tweed, the deconstructed looped structure was first introduced post-Belle Époch by fashion pioneer Coco Chanel. Fusing both form and function, the traditional workwear fabric was given a glamorous spin with innovative colours and luxe structure. Quickly becoming a must-have with the fashion crowd, bouclé became synonymous with elegant sophistication. 

The design industry soon caught on and when Florence Knoll in the 1940’s requested a chair to ‘really curl up in’ Eero Saarinen followed suit. Interpreting this request quite literally even down to the curled fabric itself: the Womb Chair was conceived in Knoll’s Classic bouclé and the fabric has remained a main-stay in the world of interiors. Bemz is proud to present a wool-blend bouclé in: Ivory, Driftwood and Pistachio. 
 

Teddy

Associated with the iconic designers of the ‘40s and ‘50s, the Teddy fabric embodies the joie de vivre of the post-war period and is in equal parts sophisticated and fun. The greats such as Jean Royere, with the avantgarde Ours Polaire ‘Polar Bear’ sofa, or shearling-covered armchairs by the likes of Fritz Hansen come to mind. Part of the appeal of the cushy fabric is the juxtaposition of its luxurious, almost decadent feel when paired with simplistic, minimalist silhouette. Fusing that covetable mix of elegant and relaxed, streamlined forms and biomorphic shapes in keeping with its original mid-century design ethos. 
While the Ours Polaire might be on our forever wishlist, we’ve come to terms with the fact that the probability of that happening is not very likely. In lieu of this, we’ve wholeheartedly embraced the luxe, plushness of our Teddy fabrics combined with our favourite IKEA models. Emulate the look with the sleek shape of the IKEA Färlöv sofa, sprinkle with a heavy dose of vintage, mid-century and a dashing of antiques. 
 

Tweed

For a more subdued take on the tactile trend, why not opt for a classic tweed? With its subtle herringbone weave, this multi-tone tweed boasts a soft, brushed wool-look finish. Originating from the Scottish Highlands, the coarse utilitarian textile was typically worn by farmers, gaining popularity as a sportswear fabric in the mid 19th century, before being embraced by the fashion-crowd à la Coco. Equal parts practical and sophisticated, tweed is a timeless staple in the design industry. 
Bemz hard-wearing Tweed includes a curated palette of gradient neutrals and bestselling tones. The brushed, matte finish reminiscent of merino-wool offers a soft-to-touch feel and blends seamlessly into contemporary and traditional settings alike.

The Märta leg

The Märta leg nods to game-changing architect Märta Blomstedt - one of driving forces of the Finnish functionalism movement. The rotund leg is inspired by the sculptural form of the Aulanko Easy armchair designed in the late 1930s. To get the look pair the oval leg with luxe tactile textures - like our bouclé and Teddy fabrics. Note the low-slung style, the Märta leg is perfectly designed to suit sofa models with a floor-skiming base frame like the IKEA Vimle. It’s equally exciting to play and distort proportions - try it on the Söderhamn or Karlstad sofa for a lounge-like look. Our humble homage to this great designer is available in both Walnut and Jet Black.