Paris house Pinto is opening its world to outside talent, and the first look is a sofa you will want to sink into. The interior architecture and decorative arts studio founded by Alberto Pinto has introduced a run of Pinto x collaborations with independent designers and artists, led by the Galka sofa from French designer Mehdi Dakhli.
Pinto's own pages list five names in the program: Megumi Mihels, Mehdi Dakhli, Studio 11.6, Augusta and Couleuvre. Three of them already have their pieces out in the open.
The Galka sofa by Mehdi Dakhli
The Galka sofa is all generous padding and soft, rounded volume, set into a carved wood frame. The back curves gently into integrated arms, and the exposed wood at the sides adds rhythm and definition to an otherwise pillowy shape. It measures 80 cm high, 260 cm wide and 90 cm deep, so this is a statement piece for a big room.
Dakhli is a designer and contemporary art curator who splits his time between Venice, London and Paris. He trained in business law and political science before moving into design, and his work digs into the cultural stories of North Africa, West Asia and their historical ties with Europe. He has also collaborated with Pritzker Prize winning architect Francis Kéré.
On working with Pinto owner and creative director Fahad Hariri, Dakhli puts it simply: "we are both storytellers: we use design to translate memories, emotions and cultural influences into contemporary forms."
A woven pendant light by Megumi Mihels
The pendant light started with a visit to Pinto's materials library, made up of hundreds of baskets holding the house's fabrics. A few of those volumes laid out on the floor sparked the idea, and a first sketch arrived a week later. Discovering the Des Tresses and Shibari collections then helped shape a shared language for the piece.
The result is a stack of faceted woven volumes that evoke baskets and suspended architecture at once. Warm light filters through the weave, and knotted cords run through and tie the modules together. Clean geometry meets the irregular hand of the weaver, and the shadows shift as you move around it.
Ceramics by Studio 11.6
Studio 11.6 is the practice of Cemre Karataş, who draws on roots in London and Istanbul to work in porcelain and stoneware. With Pinto she developed a series of ceramic pieces shaped by texture, balance and controlled imperfection, objects that sit somewhere between object and sculpture.
Why it matters
Pinto says the program reflects Hariri's wish to root the house in the tradition of a French design house, built on exacting craft and open to artists and influences from elsewhere. Pinto came under his ownership in 2020, after years as a client of the studio. Inviting independent names in is a smart way to keep a heritage studio feeling alive.
For pricing and availability, contact Pinto directly.
Our call
This one is Surfacing. The Galka sofa is the kind of sculptural, comfortable piece that ends up defining a room, and the lighting and ceramics show the program has range. Watch for what Augusta and Couleuvre bring next.
Love a sofa with a personality? Compare it with our Togo sofa explainer and the Knoll Cini Boeri Brigadier reissue, and for woven light, see Isamu Noguchi's Akari light sculptures.
