Scoop – a modular seating system designed by Philippe Malouin for Meritalia® – presents itself as a cluster of monolithic blocks with simplified forms. The name "Scoop" refers to the gesture of carving ice cream with a spoon, leaving a smooth, fluid groove in the surface, mirroring the armchair’s squared yet polished contours.
Known for his bold and innovative vision, Malouin’s approach once again fuses minimalism with a strong emphasis on functionality, creating pieces that are both practical and visually engaging.
The concept draws inspiration from the classic "club chair": a comfortable, upholstered model characterized by armrests and a low backrest. Scoop reinterprets this 20th–century design icon – the voluminous leather club chair – by updating it to its very essence. Indeed, Scoop lightens the geometry of the volume to achieve a more nonchalant and contemporary type of elegance.
The double–contoured shaping creates enveloping convexities in both the seat and the backrest. However, the "cuts" that define the edges remain soft to the touch, thanks to multi–density layered padding.
In Scoop, softness is a secret revealed only upon sitting. The fabric—a warm, velvety felt with raw–cut stitching—further emphasizes the apparent rigidity of the geometric profiles. Fine craftsmanship meets design in a seating system where comfort becomes a delightful element of surprise, contrasting with its sturdy silhouette. Furthermore, the interlocking units of Scoop create a geometric pattern, forming a continuous and potentially infinite seating arrangement.
With Scoop, Malouin intentionally avoids mere stylistic exercise; instead, he pursues a study of formal essentiality through materials, focusing on the concept of modular composition.
