A nod to Prouvé with a strong graphic gesture: the Prism stool diffuses light and creates possibilities. Modularity meets combinability.

“There’s a punchline to this new piece of furniture,” says Pascal Hien with amusement. “Tecta is a cat family – and the Tecta Cat immediately moved into the stool.”

This may be due to the special shape devised by the designer from Berlin. There is a nod to Prouvé – the circular radius. A reminder of the French designer, but not a provoked one. Because the inspiration for the new, uncomplicated seating furniture was a different one. Pascal Hien comes from the office world, that cosmos in which flexible spaces are needed in which workshops and meetings take place, sometimes with five, but also with 50 people.

For these situations, Pascal Hien had thought of a stool that could later be stacked and retracted into a corner. It has become much more than that. Firstly, a place that is perfect for nomadic working. The hollow space under its seat can be used to elegantly store a jacket and bag. At the same time, it makes a statement in the room with its diamond shape and striking mouldings. The edges are folded and allow dimensions and colour shades to become tangible. The circular radius is a simple but graphically strong gesture. It turns the furniture into a sculpture and reduces the weight of the 4 mm thick aluminium sheet to the desired manageability. The colours, which range from trendy to homely, can be played with to great effect. Once Prism has been used, it doesn’t need to hide away again – you can use it as a sidetable or build an entire room divider from it. Modularity and combinability, a new alliance. And that brings us straight to the inspiration: for the Diamond, Pascal Hien thought of reliefs, which were the inspiration for him. Combinable shapes used by artists such as Karl Heinz Adler or sculptor Erwin Hauer for his openwork, light-diffusing walls. There are five colour variations for the small, clever object. A chameleon that can change its possibilities again and again. Even as a cat cave – well, why not?