It’s probably no coincidence that so many satisfying adjectives – sultry, sensual, sexy – start with the letter “S.” The form of the consonant – the very shape of its twin, mirrored arcs – has been associated with splendour throughout the ages.
Many of the world’s most famous statuary is composed around the shape of an S. It’s evident in the ancient Greek Venus de Milo as well as Michelangelo’s Renaissance masterpiece, David. Although the pieces were created 1,600 years apart, in each, the hips, abs and waist are counter-posed in such a way to map a snaking line.
It’s also evident in architecture with ogees, pointed archways commonly seen in medieval buildings in Britain and in furniture with cabriole table legs, the harp-like supports that often swerve down to a claw foot, as well as in nature.
In Alan Hollinghurst’s 2004, Booker Prize-winning novel, The Line of Beauty, the protagonist, Nick Guest, considers the most alluring contour on the body to be the concave and convex in-and-out of a person’s lower back. The same space inspired fashion designer Alexander McQueen to create his ultra-low, butt-cleavage-revealing Bumster pants in 1996.
The appeal of the S is simple to explain. Wiliam Hogarth, an 18th-century art critic, gave the curve a name – the line of beauty – and theorized, in his 1753 treatise The Analysis of Beauty, that we are naturally drawn to it. Unlike straight lines, which are rigid, static and stultifying to the senses, sinuous lines are lively, energetic and exciting to the eye.
Hogarth would probably feel suffocated by the clean-lined modernity that has taken over design. But even though boxiness seems to be a virtue these days, the S is still ever-present. Particularly in furniture and decor, where it adds vitality to a room.
Here, six modern pieces that prove that the S-curve is sacred.
Slinky
The s-line of the Gemini seat, designed by Dutch architecture office UNStudio, is both graceful and ergonomic. The flow of the soft, padded curve was engineered so that it’s as comfortable for sitting upright, as it is for slouching or stretching out. Price upon request. Through klausn.com.
Stand out
Quebec-based designer Kino Guérin’s furniture is a mix of contrast and contradictions. He treats wood as though it were paper. By layering and adhering thin sheets together, he forms impossibly lithe shapes. He then offsets his straight lines with whimsical curves – as with the gymnastic swirl that leaps out of his aptly named S shelf. $780 Through kozaimodern.com (Vancouver) or interversion.com (Montreal).
Sassy
MDF Italia’s sleek circular dining table is minimalism with a twist. Literally. The spiralling stand shakes up the otherwise staid, white piece. The glass top helps to appreciate the ins and outs of the dynamic form. Price upon request. Through www.mdfitalia.it.
Serpentine
The DS-600 sofa, made by Swiss studio De Sede and originally released in the 1960s, is the ultimate sectional. Each segment can be added to, removed or reconfigured to adjust the arc of the curve. It can serpentine gracefully through a long, large space or coil in on itself in tighter nooks. From $40,000. Through studiobhome.com.
Solid
South Korean furniture maker Bae Sehwa handcrafts his sinuous, muscular seats by steam bending strips of wood until they are floppy (a bit like strands of al dente spaghetti). He then carefully places them into a mould where the grains stiffen almost instantly into place. The process makes for pieces that are as fluid as water but as hard as stone. Price upon request. Through galleryseomi.com.
Slight
Architect Frank Gehry is no stranger to curves. He’s best known for his massive, swooping buildings such as the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain and the Art Gallery of Ontario. But he’s also adept at small details, as is evidenced by the lyrical little door pulls produced by Italian manufacturers Valli and Valli. From $162 each. Through vallievalli.com.
Sublime
The Piasa wall screen, designed by Mexico’s Emiliano Godoy, was named for a mythic, scale-covered, dragon-like bird from an aboriginal American legend. Accordingly, the partitions segments and snaking profile echo the creatures long, whipping tail. Price upon request. Through pirwi.com.