The living room: it’s where we spend so much of our time at home, and where we make memories with family and friends. Parachute’s first ever collection of living room furniture has arrived, helping make those moments even more memorable.
From sofas and chairs to coffee and side tables to lighting, there’s something for every space. And with twelve fabric options for upholstered furniture, there are so many possibilities to customize and make it your own. We’re bringing joy back into the living room with this collection of feel-good pieces, made for those moments shared together.
To learn a bit more about the design process, we spoke with Amy Hoban, Chief Creative Officer at Parachute. Read on and watch this video to learn more!
You’ve spoken about how the goal of this collection was to offer a selection of furniture that all worked well together, no matter how the pieces are arranged. How did you approach designing each piece, keeping this concept in mind?
It really has been a dream come true to design and create this collection, so sitting on the sofas and imagining our customers having them in their homes was pretty surreal!
We wanted to keep a certain design language running through the collection to keep it feeling cohesive. I love the idea of soft curves, so even if it is more of an overall square shape we kept the corners soft and rounded. We also highlighted the details of the design like joinery on the wood pieces and sewing details on the upholstery – this all helps set a tone so that, even if the styles feel different, they all seem to belong together in a larger way.
When designing the collection, timelessness and versatility were a huge focus. Why is this so important to you?
We want these pieces to live with you forever, so of course we wanted to design them in a way that is design forward yet timeless, transcending short-lived trends. Versatility has always been a core tenet of the brand from the very beginning. We always strive to create products that people can take home and make their own, that can fold into many different decor settings and are not a one note song. Carrying this core tenet through to the furniture collection was paramount to us from the beginning, and our customers understanding that there is no prescribed way to style a Parachute product is an important message for us.
What kind of learnings did you take from the launch of bed frames last year that you’ve incorporated into the launch of living room furniture?
Our expansion into bedroom furniture over this past year continues to exceed our expectations! While our focus has historically centered around the intimate spaces of the home, we wanted to bring Parachute to the communal spaces as well. We were able to identify key design attributes our customers love and have carried that signature Parachute design narrative through to our living room collection. The major difference this time around is that the living room furniture will be sat on, so comfort was a key element when working through the product development.
How did you work with the creative team to style the furniture for photoshoots?
I worked closely with the team to determine what our perspective on shooting furniture would be. We ultimately ended up using models in many of the shots to showcase how this new collection is meant to live with you as core pieces in your home.
Parachute ultimately decided to forego the use of PFAS, a toxic chemical commonly used in performance fabrics. Can you tell me a bit more about this decision?
We wanted to design a collection that doesn’t rely on chemicals like PFAS for stain-resistance. While there are pieces on the market that don’t use PFAS, information on whether or not these chemicals were used in production tends to be hard to find – we wanted to create a line of furniture that was truly safe for you and your family.
The EPA has linked these chemicals to harmful health effects like cancer, and they’re really hard to remove from the environment once introduced, so we’ve instead opted to offer fabrics that do not rely on PFAS for durability. Our collection brings the Parachute design ethos to the living room, without compromising when it comes to toxic chemical usage, because we believe that your long-term health is paramount – and much more important than stain resistance.
What are your favorite pieces from the collection? It’s too hard to choose just one!
I love the Pillow Sofa and the Strand Coffee Table! Both designs have a fun personality but are also very livable. I think they speak to the brand and ethos of the collection very well.