The Colour Blog

I dareeeee someone to ask me how to define inclusive design. Look no further than Family, a collection by Nara Lee and David Luraschi for their company Nara’s World. Family is a collection of six saturated, huggable, imagination-inducing pieces that screammm “grandiose is garbage!” I had the pleasure of speaking to both Nara and David about these pieces at their interactive exposition. Immediately after I knew I had to take my sister and mom back to make them think I’m cooler than I am. David pointed out Family’s unique ability to relax a little saying, “When you stop trying to seduce people with art it opens a whole new world of possibility.” I laughed. Nara pointed out how everyone, including her, is still discovering the immense possibilities of these works, “[each visitor] made different and interesting sculptures, which I hadn’t imagined.” But, for me, the sickerness of this collection lies in its ability to captivate people with nothing more than their own imagination

It was a dark and stormy day when my friend Francesco and I were wandering the streets of Le Marais, a very popping neighbourhood in the north bank of Paris. Armed with a desire to see a sick exhibition by Pol Taburet and moderately empty stomachs we wandered into Lafayette Anticipations Gallery. Sadly we were quite late and after trying deeply to speedrun-appreciate that exhibition we headed downstairs to take a break. We looked at the exit to our left, it was raining outside, then to our right and there was a utopia of art design and fun, Family. Naturally, we choose to explore unlocking our inner children and an overwhelming desire to build the tallest possible skyscraper out of these squishy organic Lego blocks.

Talk about meticulously crafted. The colour palates, the fabrics, the photography, and the finishing, everything is absolutely smashing. It is simple and we need it. Nara mentions how she tried to enable people’s exploration and fun in the design, “Initially I had an idea of making furniture to be moved around and to be played.” In all caps, I am telling you FUN CAME THROUGH. By experimenting with clay mockups and seeing how they could fit together, Nara landed on these colourful kaleidoscopes of curvaceous, natural contours. Right down to every last detail, Family democratizes joy, it’s a union for all ages and a fresh friendly reminder that creativity belongs to all of us.

Yo, but honestly, one of the most special things about Family was the genuine passion and enthusiasm you could feel from both Nara and David. I remember walking into the gallery space and they approached me first to talk about their art. These pieces feel like a reflection of that attitude, they are inviting, contagiously positive, and fricken raddddd. Family doesn’t just feel like a product to be consumed but a quirky journey to be embraced. Truly dope in all senses of the word.

Take a look at their Instagram if you want to check out some heartwarming videos of lovely people exploring their collection. https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17974591046247397/