Feeling blobby? Take a seat on Sofía Elias’s unique furniture creations

Sofía Elias is a creative all-rounder. An architect by trade, the 29-year-old is the founder of Blobb – a brand that creates jewellery, accessories and furniture. Her rings, which she refers to as «miniature sculptures for the body», went viral in 2020 and soon adorned the fingers of stars such as pop icon Dua Lipa. In 2024, Elias presented the Playing to Play playground on the High Line Plaza in New York City. The work was inspired by kindergartens and their mini-sculptures.

In her studio in Mexico City, which is just as lively as her designs, you can see how her background in architecture comes out in her creative work. When I went to see her, I was quite literally able to let myself go and experience how the Mexican designer blurs the boundaries between art, design and architecture.

A chair you let go in

Elias’s designs play with contrasts, such as firmness and softness, to explore the limits of the materials and bring out their particular properties. Her goal? To rethink everyday objects.

A cool example of these experiments is the Pofi Chair made from recycled plastic, silicone and foam. It collapses when you sit on it and puffs up again when you get up. It’s a folding object that exists between function and play. Sofía Elias explains that her collapsing chair involves a loss of control that aims to make people laugh when they sit down – a typical trait of her playful designs.

Optical illusions for more fun

Elias’s handmade creations, such as the Party of Three chairs, also challenge beholders’ perception. The objects look as if they’ve been coated with fresh paint, but appear to be as sticky as chewing gum, at the same time.

Each of her creations proves that magic lies in imperfection. Elias questions how we use things and why we perceive them in a certain way. Her designs invite you to look at our thoroughly optimised world from a new angle. How about allowing things to be a little more chaotic, lively and imperfect for a change?